This past weekend I visited New York to see some of my friends as well as go see some of the new exciting shows that are up. Unfortunately I forgot that most galleries are closed on Sunday. Lucky for me that the only one that was open had a solo show of one of my teachers at the Robin Rice Gallery. Cig Harvey’s new work, titled You Look At Me Like An Emergency explores the idea of what it means to be a photographer who does not specifically take time out of their day to make certain photographs. It is about letting life happen, seeing something within that, and then photographing around that subject.

The closing of the artist’s statement says:

“These Pictures show me that life can be as magical as fiction.”

I have always been enthralled by the idea of making photographs that are meaningful and expressive without the use of artifice (or at least as much artifice that can be removed when using a camera) or making time for photography. The show speaks to the contemporary push of the artificial but still having the idea of capturing a moment the way photography can unlike any other medium. I also enjoy the mix of some of the older work with the newer work. It shows growth in a way that makes sense and is truly apparent when hung up together.

Cig Harvey is always excited about photography in all shapes and sizes. If you are in New York I suggest going down to 11th street and checking it out. It is up until early November.