Hasta La Ideas

A photographer picks five standouts in his own medium from the fairs in Miami

Amidst the staggering amount of work we see at the fairs in Miami, one of the major highlights for me, as a CH contributor and a photographer myself, is to see something that catches my eye in a new way. Whether it’s discovering unknown talents, seeing fresh concepts from old favorites or catching sneak previews for upcoming shows, Art Basel never disappoints. Here’s a list of five stand-out photographs from the main event itself.

Currently showing as one of the six artists selected for this year’s New Photography exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Viviane Sassen was on display at South Africa’sStevenson Gallery at Art Basel. Called “Parasomnia,” the photos will be shown in full at the gallery’s Cape Town location January 2012.

Ryan McGinley takes his band of naked youth out of nature and into the studio, and pits them against every manner of animal from turkey to scorpion. Team Gallery offered a lovely preview to a forthcoming show that will be on view 29 March to 28 April 2012.

Shown at 303 Gallery, Florian Maier-Aichen’s images reinterpret landscape photography for the 21st century. Often shot at obscure angles or from aerial views, his estranged vantage points and subtle digital manipulation create places that feel both alien and familiar.

I was wowed by the simplicity, beauty and restraint of Leslie Hewitt‘s still-life photos of everyday objects, a few of which were shown at D’Amelio Terras Gallery.

Gladstone Gallery showed some of photographer Sharon Lockhart’s recent “Lunch Break” series as well as this intriguing one-off, “Visalia Livestock Market, Visalia, California.” While traveling around California’s Tulare County, Lockhart shot more than a hundred 4″ x 5″ negatives of ranches and cattle auctions before choosing to print just this one.