Chrisoph Niemann in Brooklyn

Last night we went to an artist reception for Christoph Niemann at Janet Borden gallery in Brooklyn.

I have been watching Niemann's work for +10 years, smiling at the connections he makes, appreciating both his consistency and evolution.

He first captured my interest with his drawings for magazines and newspapers. Then illustrated books. Then digital, including motion. And now these big (and small) photo illustrations.

This latest format starts with a photograph and layers a line drawing over top in a way that takes the combined picture in an unexpected direction. New pictures emerge through the association.

The splayed hairs of a paint brush become a ballerina's tutu, like in the above. A pencil becomes a megaphone. An inkwell becomes a camera.

One of Niemann’s methods appears to involve looking around his studio (or even just at his desk) to find something to start with. Pencils, scissors, rolls of tape. Something mundane. Then drawings are layered overtop to give the piece energy and direction. It’s his addition to the world that brings it to life.

The show at Janet Borden gallery was aptly named "PHOTO GRAPHICS". And she is doing him and his fans a good service by making the work available to take home and see all of the time, rather than just as we page past it in the New York Times or New Yorker.

The gallery itself is clean, well-lit, with a bustling little neighborhood surrounding it (Water Street, Dumbo).

Looking forward to the next one! 

https://www.christophniemann.com/detail/photo-graphics-at-janet-borden-inc/