Museum of Contemporary Photography

07/26/2021

This photograph from Donavon Smallwood’s series Languor recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Languor is a project that presents itself as an interaction between images of NYC’s Central Park landscape and portraits taken within the space. Languor considers the history of the park being constructed by using eminent domain to strip Black property owners of their homes, while functioning as an examination of nature, the negation of civilization, home, and the possibility of escape, all while centering Black tranquility among the chaos of nature space, history, and life today.

Learn more about Smallwood’s work here: donavonsmallwood.com

This photograph from Donavon Smallwood’s series Languor recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Languor is a project that presents itself as an interaction between images of NYC’s Central Park landscape and portraits taken within the space. Languor considers the history of the park being constructed by using eminent domain to strip Black property owners of their homes, while functioning as an examination of nature, the negation of civilization, home, and the possibility of escape, all while centering Black tranquility among the chaos of nature space, history, and life today.

Learn more about Smallwood’s work here: donavonsmallwood.com

07/23/2021

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections every Friday at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Fern Shaffer's print, Nine Year Ritual, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, from 1997.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/3jHrX04

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections every Friday at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Fern Shaffer's print, Nine Year Ritual, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, from 1997.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/3jHrX04

07/22/2021

Join us this evening for a conversation between artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander. The conversation will center around their artistic practices and their work in Much Unseen is Also Here.

The program will be presented virtually on Zoom.
The event will take place Thursday, July 22, 6 p.m.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hSL70D

Join us this evening for a conversation between artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander. The conversation will center around their artistic practices and their work in Much Unseen is Also Here.

The program will be presented virtually on Zoom.
The event will take place Thursday, July 22, 6 p.m.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hSL70D

07/21/2021

Nothing is more emblematic of summer than hotdogs in Chicago, so for this week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week, we are sharing an image from Patty Carroll’s "Hot Dog Stands" series from the Changing Chicago project.

Image: Patty Carroll, Pop's Place (with girl), 1987-1990.

Nothing is more emblematic of summer than hotdogs in Chicago, so for this week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week, we are sharing an image from Patty Carroll’s "Hot Dog Stands" series from the Changing Chicago project.

Image: Patty Carroll, Pop's Place (with girl), 1987-1990.

07/21/2021

The invisible resistance of photographers Jo Ratcliffe and An-My Lê on display in Chicago

Check out this interesting read about Much Unseen is Also Here in todays Tribune! https://bit.ly/3BqxNsZ

Exhibitions by photographers Jo Ratcliffe and An-My Lê are on display in Chicago, and they offer a welcome chance to pause the news cycle, back up, and take a longer view of the terrain.

07/20/2021

This Thursday, join exhibiting artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander for a conversation about their artistic practices and Much Unseen is Also Here.

The program will be presented virtually on Zoom.
The event will take place Thursday, July 22, 6 p.m.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hSL70D

This Thursday, join exhibiting artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander for a conversation about their artistic practices and Much Unseen is Also Here.

The program will be presented virtually on Zoom.
The event will take place Thursday, July 22, 6 p.m.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hSL70D

07/19/2021

This photograph from Billy H.C. Kwok’s series Last Letters: A Photographic Investigation of Taiwan White Terror recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Last Letters is a visual and archival investigation into a dark chapter of Taiwan’s political past, taboos and societal amnesia. It excavates the hidden histories of the period of authoritarian rule in Taiwan under dictator Chiang Kai-shek known as White Terror (1949 - 1991).

Learn more about Kwok’s work here: billyhckwok.com

This photograph from Billy H.C. Kwok’s series Last Letters: A Photographic Investigation of Taiwan White Terror recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Last Letters is a visual and archival investigation into a dark chapter of Taiwan’s political past, taboos and societal amnesia. It excavates the hidden histories of the period of authoritarian rule in Taiwan under dictator Chiang Kai-shek known as White Terror (1949 - 1991).

Learn more about Kwok’s work here: billyhckwok.com

07/16/2021

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Construction in South Beach I, from the FloodZone series, made by Anastasia Samoylova in 2018.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hk9ANf

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Construction in South Beach I, from the FloodZone series, made by Anastasia Samoylova in 2018.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/3hk9ANf

07/15/2021

Our featured #MoCPCollection Image of the Week is from Sze Tsung Leong's series "History Images" (2002-2005). The series documents the physical transformation of China's major cities in response to an unprecedented economic boom and widespread relocation of the country's population to urban centers.

Image: Sze Tsung Leong, Pingyao, Shanxi Province, 2004.

Our featured #MoCPCollection Image of the Week is from Sze Tsung Leong's series "History Images" (2002-2005). The series documents the physical transformation of China's major cities in response to an unprecedented economic boom and widespread relocation of the country's population to urban centers.

Image: Sze Tsung Leong, Pingyao, Shanxi Province, 2004.

07/14/2021

What’s Your Lens? A Summer Photo Challenge for Ages 14-24

Today we’d love to share an opportunity from our friends at the Chicago Public Library. Their summer photo challenge is open to Chicago youth aged 14-24 and the winner will receive an exciting prize package. The prompt asks photographers to share a photograph that captures the essence of their community. For more information visit https://bit.ly/2U2cr4B

Can you show others the world as you see it? The What's Your Lens? photography challenge invites Chicagoans between the ages of 14-24 to…

07/12/2021

This photograph from Txema Salvans' series Perfect Day recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Txema Salvans photographs Spain's vacationers in unexpected corners of the postindustrial landscape. Beneath the surface of these scrupulously composed tableaux are potent questions about class, national identity, and the politics of space.

Learn more about Salvans' work here: txemasalvans.com

This photograph from Txema Salvans' series Perfect Day recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Txema Salvans photographs Spain's vacationers in unexpected corners of the postindustrial landscape. Beneath the surface of these scrupulously composed tableaux are potent questions about class, national identity, and the politics of space.

Learn more about Salvans' work here: txemasalvans.com

07/09/2021

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Petcoke piles in southeast Chicago at Koch Industries site along Calumet River, made by Terry Evans in 2014.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/2SNrnCS

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Petcoke piles in southeast Chicago at Koch Industries site along Calumet River, made by Terry Evans in 2014.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: https://bit.ly/2SNrnCS

07/08/2021

This week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week is from Stephen Feldman and is the perfect reminder to get outside and enjoy the summer!

Image: Stephen Feldman, Man in Business Suit on Beach, N.D.

This week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week is from Stephen Feldman and is the perfect reminder to get outside and enjoy the summer!

Image: Stephen Feldman, Man in Business Suit on Beach, N.D.

07/07/2021

Today is World Chocolate Day and the perfect day to feature Andy Warhol’s polaroid, Candy Box, from our collection!

Image: Andy Warhol, Candy Box, 1981.

Today is World Chocolate Day and the perfect day to feature Andy Warhol’s polaroid, Candy Box, from our collection!

Image: Andy Warhol, Candy Box, 1981.

07/05/2021

This photograph from Shawn Bush’s series Angle of Draw recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Shawn Bush’s photographs examine and critique systems of power through a mix of straight photographs and large format in-camera collages created from a collection of purchased negatives & prints.

Learn more about Bush’s work here: shawnbush.com

This photograph from Shawn Bush’s series Angle of Draw recently caught our eye during the museum's monthly portfolio review.

Shawn Bush’s photographs examine and critique systems of power through a mix of straight photographs and large format in-camera collages created from a collection of purchased negatives & prints.

Learn more about Bush’s work here: shawnbush.com

07/04/2021

Reflecting on our nation’s history on its 245th birthday. Ralph Eugene Meatyard’s Untitled (Boy with Flag) complicates ideas of exhibited nationalism and traditional photographic depictions of Americana.

Image: Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Untitled (Boy with Flag), 1959.

#FourthOfJuly #4thOfJuly

Reflecting on our nation’s history on its 245th birthday. Ralph Eugene Meatyard’s Untitled (Boy with Flag) complicates ideas of exhibited nationalism and traditional photographic depictions of Americana.

Image: Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Untitled (Boy with Flag), 1959.

#FourthOfJuly #4thOfJuly

07/02/2021

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Vera Klement's mixed media piece, War Monody (Autumn), from 2004.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: bit.ly/3638sHg

Join our Curator of Academic Programs and Collections today at noon for a casual drop-in session where we closely read and discuss one photograph together in the museum's collection. This week we will look at Vera Klement's mixed media piece, War Monody (Autumn), from 2004.

This session will not be recorded in order to better facilitate conversation amongst participants, and while participation is appreciated, all are welcome to join and learn more about the collection. Come to participate or just observe!

Register here: bit.ly/3638sHg

07/01/2021

As this week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week, we are sharing an image from Alexandre Haefeli’s series “The Company of Men,” which centers on the male figure and the representation of sensuality. This series reminds us that it is possible to live and to express one’s identity as a man outside the clichés generally associated with virility.

As this week’s #MoCPCollection Image of the Week, we are sharing an image from Alexandre Haefeli’s series “The Company of Men,” which centers on the male figure and the representation of sensuality. This series reminds us that it is possible to live and to express one’s identity as a man outside the clichés generally associated with virility.

06/30/2021

Our current exhibition, Much Unseen is Also Here: An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander, ponders representation via monuments in our landscapes and unravels cultural history through sculpture, drawings, and animation. The show runs through the end of August. Visit our website to reserve a time to visit!

Our current exhibition, Much Unseen is Also Here: An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander, ponders representation via monuments in our landscapes and unravels cultural history through sculpture, drawings, and animation. The show runs through the end of August. Visit our website to reserve a time to visit!

06/28/2021

Sprout Social Photos

06/24/2021

Visit Martine Gutierrez, one of our exciting summer shows at the MoCP. In the exhibition, Gutierrez disrupts beauty ideals of cisgendered whiteness, and reappropriates pop cultural imagery to center herself as both artist and muse.

Make a reservation on our website to see the exhibit.

Image: Martine Gutierrez, Body En Thrall, p117 from Indigenous Woman, 2018
Courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE Gallery New York

Visit Martine Gutierrez, one of our exciting summer shows at the MoCP. In the exhibition, Gutierrez disrupts beauty ideals of cisgendered whiteness, and reappropriates pop cultural imagery to center herself as both artist and muse.

Make a reservation on our website to see the exhibit.

Image: Martine Gutierrez, Body En Thrall, p117 from Indigenous Woman, 2018
Courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE Gallery New York

06/23/2021

Visit Much Unseen is Also Here: An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander, at the MoCP to learn about pieces like this one from An-My Lê. Lê’s Silent General (2015 - ongoing) presents large-scale views of places and people in the contemporary American landscape. Her work functions as a critique of problematic monuments and reveals issues of representation in our public spaces.

Visit our website to make a reservation to visit the museum.

Image: An-My Lê, Fragment VI: General Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard Monuments, Homeland Security Storage, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2017
Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery

Visit Much Unseen is Also Here: An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander, at the MoCP to learn about pieces like this one from An-My Lê. Lê’s Silent General (2015 - ongoing) presents large-scale views of places and people in the contemporary American landscape. Her work functions as a critique of problematic monuments and reveals issues of representation in our public spaces.

Visit our website to make a reservation to visit the museum.

Image: An-My Lê, Fragment VI: General Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard Monuments, Homeland Security Storage, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2017
Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery