Julie M. Gallery for Contemporary Art

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The 2013 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography  is officially underway, and Shai Kremer’s solo exhibition Work in Progress is a Featured Exhibit.  Read more about this exceptional display of two photographic series, still underway, on page 152 of the CONTACT catalogue.

In other news, Deganit Berest’s retrospective at the Tel Aviv Museum opens May 18th. Congratulations are in order for this brilliant artist.  Her practice spans both painting and photography, and includes work such as the pixellated figures below.

Yesterday Shai Kremer spoke about the process of creating his latest series, the “World Trade Center: Concrete Abstracts”. We asked how he achieved aesthetic variety between each piece, as every one is individualized by a specific palette and geometric organization.

Kremer answered that the composition of each piece was approached differently: sometimes he would begin with a clear strategy of layering images to structure the work, and then build off that scaffolding; other images evolved more intuitively, according to a specific colour scheme and / or pattern that emerged from the layering process. As the series evolved, the “Concrete Abstracts” began to include miniature visual pockets of information, creating by sourcing 9/11-related images from the public domain, which contextualize the imagery of reconstruction.

Much like a painting, it is easy to overwork this style of aggregate image. Kremer is particularly concerned with finding a balance between visual appeal and the weight of his subject matter—overwhelming beauty or pattern can reduce the emotional impact of an image.

Thank you to everyone who attended the opening reception. We look forward to introducing you to photographer Shai Kremer, tomorrow afternoon.

Join Manhattan-based artist Shai Kremer at the opening of his Featured Exhibit in the CONTACT Photography Festival, Work in Progress, from 6 – 9 pm on April 11th.

Work in Progress is a solo exhibit presenting ongoing cycles of work from New York City.  Explore the fringe landscapes of New York City in Notes from the Edges, which Kremer began capturing when he emigrated to the United States in 2002, or lose yourself in the details of his large-scale World Trade Center: Concrete Abstracts.

The Concrete Abstracts mark a turning point in Kremer’s career—unlike the signature crisp focus in his critically acclaimed series Infected Landscape and Fallen Empires, these layered photographs are often misread as abstract paintings.

Work in Progress is on view April 11 – May 26, 2013.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook!