"Destroyed Images" Exhibition Opens in Hamburg At The 040 Festival on Friday 7th June at 20:00

I am very pleased to announce, my works are part of this exciting festival in Hamburg which opens this Friday, 7th June from 20:00. The festival and the exhibition has a fantastic array of artists including Katharina Bosse, Markus Uhr, André Giesemann, Mauren Brodbeck and many, many others.

I will also be making a book live at the opening, demonstrating the labour intensive production of the photobook, from 20:00 onwards...

Here is a little bit more information about the exhibition:

"The 040 Festival takes place for the first time in Hamburg. Still in the making, it’s understood as a pilot, which communicates an artistic idea to the public and the city. National and international names of the art scene will be represented and showcased. The exhibition "Destroyed Images - Zerstoerte Bilder" discusses the exploitation of imagery; every day more than 300 million pictures are being uploaded & rated on Facebook. Private pictures are produced without any kind of reflection or time for production. Things, which are happening around us, are being documented, saved onto hard drives or virtual storage spaces and uploaded onto the Internet.

Which pictures do actually still matter - which ones are still of any intellectual value? What happens with all these pictures we produce? How do photographers treat their own work? How do they treat found material?

What happens with photographic pictures, which we manipulate, distress, deconstruct or reassemble? The exhibition's title "Destroyed Images" shouldn't solely be understood in just a materialistic way, but also in a sense of self-awareness and a scan of a constructed biography. What does it mean to leave something behind and start again from scratch, after a loss, an accident or an illness?"

See more here: http://frappant.org/archives/5114

In Conversation with Charlotte Cotton Now Live!!!

So to celebrate the London Launch of my first publication, "The Photograph as Contemporary Art" tonight at the wonderful Claire de Rouen Books, you can now see the "In Conversation" that took place at the bookshop earlier this month between the amazing Charlotte Cotton, Lucy Moore and myself!

Have a listen, it really is a great insight into how, what, when and why this project came to be as well as providing a good starting point to discuss other themes and theories around contemporary photographic practice. 

See you all tonight!

You can view here too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei3QIhOjRp4

Reminder - London Launch this Thursday!

Just a little reminder to say that the London Launch of "The Photograph as Contemporary Art" is this coming Thursday, the 30th May from 7-9PM. Don't let the wet weather bring you down, come and celebrate the publication with a drink or two in an incredible venue.

See more here: http://clairederouenbooks.com/ 

and http://www.dmbcreatives.com/posts/melinda-gibson---london-launch-of-the-photograph-as-contemporary-art/109/1

Diffusion Festival 2013 - Weekend

So I am heading off to Cardiff in a few hours to head up to the Diffusion Festival 2013 ready for the Publishing Weekend, where I will be taking part in the Photobook Symposium. Talking alongside great artists like Edgar Martins as well as the wonderful Thijs from WassinkLundgren. The talks start at Chapter from 11:30 and it should be a great, fun packed day with debates and exciting ideas around the photobook!

See more here: http://www.diffusionfestival.org/programme/publishing-weekend/

UK Book Launch at Claire de Rouen Books Thursday 30th May 7-9 PM

The London launch for Melinda‘s book, The Photograph As Contemporary Art, which was selected by Photoeye as one of the Best Books of 2012. Join us for a glass of wine and the opportunity to buy a signed copy of the book.

In the run-up to the launch, a conversation between Melinda, Lucy and curator and writer Charlotte Cotton was held at the bookshop. Cotton’s book ‘The Photograph As Contemporary Art’, first published by Thames and Hudson in 2004, is the preliminary document from which Melinda’s eponymous publication is assembled. The discussion will be available to view as a video online at Melinda’s blog from the 30th May onwards.

We very much look forward to seeing you in a few weeks and watch for the launch of the video discussion!

See more here: http://clairederouenbooks.com/index.php/events/

May kicks off with PGH Photo Fair

So May is a super busy month and to kick start it all off, my work is heading to the PGH, The Pittsburgh Photo Fair taking place at the Unsmoke Systems Artspace in Braddock. The fair in its second year brings together a stunning space with vintage to contemporary photography internationally to the Pittsburgh community. I am very pleased to be part of this with the lovely Next Level Projects and watch this space for installation shots of the fair.

See more here: http://unsmokeartspace.com/index/#/pgh-photo-fair/ & http://www.pghphotofair.com/

UK Book Launch Coming Soon...

So it is finally here, my UK Book Launch for my first publication "The Photograph as Contemporary Art." Launching at the amazing Claire de Rouen book shop on Thursday 30th May 2013 from 7pm. There will be more news to come, but we do have a very, very special guest taking part, in fact without her it wouldn't of been possible to make this happen!

Keep your eyes posted for more information here and on the Claire de Rouen site too; http://clairederouenbooks.com

Light & Bride

So last Friday I finally managed to get to see the two shows I have been trying to see for a long time! These were the very much celebrated Light show at the Hayward and The Bride and the Bachelor at the Barbican. Two unbelievably incredible exhibitions curated with such passion and authority the exhibits were truly moving.

The Light show, now extended until May 7th is quite extraordinary as it takes you not only on a contemporary artistic journey, but a sensual one whereby the confusion of your senses makes you feel a wealth of emotions and you become reactive to the environment you are walking into in such a self participatory way. For me, the sensory overload was at times quite unimaginable as the colours, tones, mists and forms trick your eyes into seeing and understanding situations and shapes in a completely new way. Works that really got me were pieces by Carlos Cruz-Diez, Cerith Wyn Evans, Dan Flavin and Anthony McCall. 

As the press release states, "Light has the power to affect our state of mind as well as alter how we perceive the world around us, and Light Show includes some of the most visually stimulating artworks created in recent years. From atmospheric installations to intangible sculptures that you can move around and even through, visitors can experience light in all of its spatial and sensory forms. Individual artworks explore different aspects of light such as colour, duration, intensity and projection, as well as perceptual phenomena."

See more here: http://www.haywardlightshow.co.uk/exhibition/

The Bride and The Bachelor is a completely different experience, but nether the less moving and inspiring. Based around the works of Duchamp and his enormously important legacy on contemporary artists John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. This exhibition is layered with traces of genius, as you see the effect Marcel had on the works of his contemporaries and friends. As you walk around the show, Philippe Parreno has created a musical mise en scene, producing scores from Cage and sounds of his own inspiration from these works. The result is a stunning sensory explosion, as you see, hear and feel part of a great moment in time.

Its almost impossible to truly explain the experiences you get from these two shows, the best way is to visit, see and experience them yourself and be overtaken with inspiration and vision in ways you couldn't quite imagine.

See more here: http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=14075

Lucid-Ly Opens...

So last night saw the opening launch of the Lucid-Ly showrooms presenting the much anticipated Photobook exhibition, "The Contemporary Photobook." With artists like Martin Parr, WassinkLundgren, Jaap Scheeren, Kummer and Herrman, Mark Mattock to name but a few the exhibits were exciting, challenging and presented in a wonderful space, that was approachable, comfortable and inviting. It was if you had stepped inside a well design living room and quietly looked through their artworks, their Photobook collection, it was completely inviting and beautiful.

The opening was busy with even a guest appearance by Mister Parr himself as well as many amazing curators, magazine editors and Thames and Hudson. My first publication was presented and it was wonderful to see so many people taking the time to look through each and every page, the response was incredible! A perfect launch, with a great audience all taking the time to look through each and every book with care and attention, what more could any artist wish for!

See more here and make an appointment to see the show, it really is something not to be missed: http://lucid-ly.com/photobook.htm 

New Show - The Contemporary Photobook

I am very pleased to announce a new show that I am in called, "The Contemporary Photobook" which opens at Lucid-Ly Showrooms this coming Thursday 11th April. I am very proud to be part of this very exciting show and with artists like Martin Parr, WassinkLundrgen and Hans Gremmen that are such authorities on the photobook. Here is a little bit more about the show below.

"This exhibition showcases a series of recent photobook projects, which reassess the potential of the book as a platform for photography. Since the onset of the medium, photographic images have been linked to the publishing and distribution of books. The photo album and the photography-illustrated book are two of a number of traditions behind the current definition of the photobook, revised and redefined through collaborative practices between artist photographers, writers, designers and printers...."

You can purchase my books directly through this email, studio@melindajgibson@gmail.com

View more about the exhibition and Lucid-Ly here: http://lucid-ly.com/photobook.htm

Preliminary Works - Format Festival

So here are the installation shots from the debut of the Silvermine collaboration at Format Festival in Derby. As you can see these images show you how the venue, an old Chocolate Factory paved way for a very exciting install as I worked with the environment to create a feel that was reminiscent of the recycling unit we visited in Beijing, but in addition to that the entire feel and essence of what we wanted to create with the damaged negatives initially. 

Using paint and pencil, along with silk screens that I had prepared the install provides a wealth of activity showing the different mediums, processes that we are experimenting with to offer up new ways to view this archive. Hand painted elements dripping down, raw, untreated walls detail the vivid colours and blending options of how the damage grows organically. Intermixed with small kodak prints from Beijing of actual negatives I found from the archive.

These preliminary works offer us the inspiration into what we can achieve and how it maybe possible. The wealth of imagery I found can only be dreamt off and as more images come in form the rice bags all I can say is watch this space as what we will be making is truly beautiful and will be worth the wait!

Back From Beijing...

So I am back! And what an absolutely incredible journey it has been. I still can't quite believe all that I experienced and all that was there to experience, Beijing is a magical place completely different from anything I have ever seen or been part of before with a progressiveness that is quite extraordinary and freeing. 

This time two weeks ago I had landed and was on my way into the city, dropping my bags and heading straight out to the studio to start working! Mr Sauvin, a great guide welcomed me to the city with a hard drive of over 500,000 images from the Silvermine Archive to get started on, a quick tour of his studio, an amazing first lunch with welcoming beers in the city centre then off to work! What I found in this archive can only be described as some of the most inspiring, unbelievable images I have ever seen. From images that span over 20 years, this wealth of imagery was not only honoring to work with, but I had a complete nervousness about it also. The sociopolitical and cultural importance of this archive must not be underestimated and I knew being a westerner from the outside passing any judgements around this archive would be problematic. 

So my first task was to go through as many images in the first trip as possible to see what images I felt inspired by and what exactly made up these half a million images. In over a week I managed to go through 207,702 images (a number I couldn't have made up!) and above is just an example of what I found, printed up and the from the sort of negatives. This destruction, this damage is what struck me from the source material. A beauty that was so spontaneousness, organic and uncontrolled in its nature it was a great juxtaposition to the very formal, strict portraits found within the archive. The material I found within this framework is quite stunning and this is the route in which our collaboration will develop. This abstraction, these images that are so literally painted bring together many ideas surrounding the medium, archives and the defunctness of the core elements of photography. There is a uniqueness about each and everyone of these damaged negatives and I am very excited about all the possibilities that lie ahead of us.

Finally on my last day, an believable cycle through Tiananmen Square. Understanding a history about somewhere never really prepares you for actuality of visiting the place and here is one of those examples. The square is vast, a space so enormous is can hold up to 1 million people and it was busy on the warm, spring day that I visited. As it is a very busy road you can't actually stand in the middle and kept behind barriers, but being on your bike you get a different view. I cycled through the square and really got an understanding and sense of the space. What's very important to add is you can indeed take pictures, everyone does and locals pose in front of the monument as if like tourists! It appeared it is quite a normal thing to stand there for hours, watching the cars drive past, being part of this space. 

From being there only a short period, I felt I learnt a lot about the culture and I can honestly say that we here in the west have only a tiny view/ idea of what China is and has to offer and for me Beijing brought a freedom to my practice that I haven't felt for a while, the art district 798 too brings a totally different theme to the city, so I thank you for that and can't wait for my next trip in the summer.