Cityzen.tv: Art News & Reviews- Hey Hot Shot

Hot Shot is Lukewarm
An Examination of the
"Hey Hot Shot"
Photography Competition
By Shani Frymer

The evening of Thursday March 5th 2005 Jen Bekman unveiled the winners of her recent “Hey Hot Shot” photography competition in a continuing effort to present the work of emerging artists to the public. Her gallery can be found walking east on Spring St, traversing past the delicious Mekong Thai restaurant, the deli’s, Tibetan shops and hitting the Bowery.

Jen Bekman’s eponymous gallery is a relatively new venture and an infant at two years of age. Her previous experience is wildly different in nature, having worked for several independent internet corporations overseeing interactive programming, user development in a career directing community and editorial efforts. Her recent endeavor of introducing up and coming artists is admirable, and she has been written about in various print and online publications including The New York Times, W Magazine, New York Magazine, multiple blogs including Gawker.com and in art related publications like Photograph, Artnet and PDN.

Donald Andrew Agarrat
11" x 14" digital ultrachrome print, mounted on Sintra. Artist's Proof.

For her “Hey Hot Shot” competition Ms. Bekman put together a Panel of judges comprised of photography practitioners and professionals. The judges include Stephen Frailey, the School of Visual Arts Photography Department Chair, Julia Leach, EVP Creative Direction & Brand Strategy of Kate Spade, Scott Heiferman, founder of Fotolog, Benjamin Donaldson, a photographer represented by Jen Bekman and Ms. Bekman herself.

The winners of this competition are Donald Andrew Agarrat, Dylan Chatain, Stephanie Cinelli, Christine Collins, Diane Meyer, Jonathan Hayon, Rachel Hulin, Rachel Sussman, Matthew Tischler, Jenny Walters. Their work can be viewed on Ms. Bekman’s website at www.jenbekman.com. Editors Note: Ms. Frymer was a contest participant.

Stephanie Cinelli

Personally for such a prestigious group of practicing professionals, I was caught slightly off guard by the result of their search. Needless to say these were relatively young, fresh new faces that the art world seems to be desperately seeking. All in their late twenties to thirties they have solidified the stereotype of the ‘new artist’. The photographs selected did not display a very wide range of subjects. Focusing on mostly portraits and their surroundings with few exceptions the pictures were very hit or miss. I found a large portion of them agreeable, but was still left questioning a few of the choices of the esteemed jurors. A series chosen by photographer Jenny Walters was an attempt to convey that period in our lives when there is a role reversal between parent and child and the child becomes the caretaker. It’s a visual essay on an emotionally charged and fleeting moment in our lives. It is an admirable attempt at a project but between the intention of the artist and the final outcome there seems to be something missing. Unfortunately, the idea is simply not communicated clearly through the photographs and much of the meaning is lost.

Jenny Walters
16" x 20" digital c-print, mounted on Sintra. Artist's Proof.

Of the ten finalists I found the works of Diane Meyer the most intriguing. Although initially they could be seen simply as aesthetically pleasing images, upon further inspection there is great deal happening within the frame that comprises these well done photographs. They are softly lit, but remain crisp, in focus and clean. They feel very light, and have a refreshing spectrum of color. Of the three that were selected, one particular image stands out. The frame and the majority of the image are comprised of a black mask, with oval egg-shaped pictures peeking out between the black. Each circular gap is filled with a slightly abstracted outdoor landscape. Mostly blue and green in hue the picture overall, especially when viewed a few steps away form a grid. It is almost as if you are peering through a fence and are glimpsing the possibilities of what may lay beyond. Although wildly different in structure than her other two photographs, which are a bit more straightforward the trio create an interesting dialogue that echo the climate of a subdued American west.

Dianne Meyer
15.5" x 23.75" Digital c-print, mounted on plexi. 1 from an edition of 6

A close runner is Dylan Chatain with a bit of a darker series than Meyers. There is a morose feeling portrait of a house that could be taken directly from a horror movie. The house itself seems to be in the center of a storm, but there is something inarticulately beautiful about the grey blue clouds swirling above this house. The colors are very emotional and powerful and lead to a deeper meaning that goes beyond the surface. Unfortunately Chatain struck out on photograph. There is a photograph of what appears as stuffed potato sacks on sticks just off the highway. The color scheme from the house carries on in this image, but not its strength of composition. These figures are surrounded by trees and snow, just off the road and hold no implications, and simply leave the viewer guessing. If its an abstract, what would it represent, if it’s a portrait or a tribute why is it so essential that people are made aware of its existence.

Dylan Chatain
20" x 30" digital c-print, mounted on Sintra. Artist's Proof.

There were other pieces that I found worthy of notable praise, namely those of Matthew Tischler, whose seemingly pixelized photographs were the result of 35mm photographs shot with a scrim superimposed upon his subjects. There is an image photographed by Rachel Hulin of a woman in a very large luxurious field being blown by the wind that was actually, remarkable. From a distance she resembles a matador with his red cape in a very bittersweet photograph.

Matthew Tischler
15.5" x 23.25" c-print, mounted with non-glare plexi. 1 from an edition of 10

Rachel Hulin
30" x 40" print, mounted on Sintra. 1 from an edition of 5

Some others however, seemed to miss the mark. Jonathan Hayon seems to be drawn to taking images that feel very snapshot-esque. His photographs have richness and crisp colors, obviously taken by a larger format camera but it still leaves his subject matter questionable. His three images included a large lawn with many people stretched out in what could have been Sheep’s meadow in Central Park. Another is of a young child jumping into a fountain with a rainbow reflecting off the lens, and the last is of a seemingly old Victorian house, its owners sunbathing on the front lawn in a very saturated, very green photograph that really leaves little to the imagination.

Jonathan Hayon
20" x 24" digital c-print, mounted on Sintra. 1 from an edition of 7

All in all, the result of this Spring’s hot shot contest brought a supremely varied result, although I suppose that new artists desperate for exposure should be thankful to have an opportunity as great as this one. All that is left is to hope that the next round favors quality over continuity of subject, and art over politics.