The December issue of Aeqai has just posted, and, holidays nothwithstanding, we have a full and rich issue for you. We have reviews from two museums this month; our lede article is by Jonathan Kamholtz, who analyzes the rich, elegiac work by a lesser known photographer, who’s from India, Sohrab Hura, who moseyed through the American South in a show titled “The Levee: A Photographer in The American South”, curated by the Art Museum’s relatively new curator of photography Nathaniel Stein. Parts of an interview with Stein are included in Kamholtz’s superb review of this must-see photo show. And Marlene Steele went up to the Dayton Art Institute to see and review the work of illustrator/painter Ernest Blumenschein, who also was the founder of The Artist Colony in Taos, N. M.
Steve Kemple does an admirable job reviewing the work of two artists showing currently at The Weston Art Gallery in The Aronoff Center; Jumi Chung and John Humphries; Kemple weaves both artists’ work into one fascinating review. And Josh Beckelhimer takes an in depth look at the fascinating work of Lauren Henkin at The Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati; her show “Props” is partly an intervention into architect Zaha Hadid’s building itself and the function of an arts space.
Deb Johnson, who’s new to Aeqai this month, was in Lyon, France, and saw the very rich work attendant to their contemporary art fair there and offers us analysis of fine work there; Ekin Erkan reviews/analyzes work by Gerhard Richter at Gagosian Gallery in New York through the lens of fascinating cutting-edge theory and aesthetics. Annabel Osberg’s always superb review looks at the work of Ed and Nancy Kienholtz at LA Louver; the work uses circus/merry-go-round themes in work that looks even more topical now than it did even when it was first made/shown in the 1990s.
Will Newman offers his thoughts on the work the late Louisville, Ky. visionary artist Henry Faulkner at Caza Sikes Gallery, and Karen Chambers reviews work by women artists from around the world at the Women’s Y Gallery in downtown Cincinnati; the show’s general theme revolves around the idea of identity/immigration. William Messer, a photographer and curator, offers his thoughts upon the death of photography great Robert Frank, and will return in January with his memorial piece about lesser known photographer Dan Cohen.
Jane Durrell’s profile this month is of Cincinnati artist/architect/community volunteer Patricia Olding, and Laura Hobson’s feature is of the little known Harmon Museum in Lebanon, Ohio, which is a fascinating museum full of mostly historical wonders, along with some contemporary art as well. I offer my annual “best fiction of 2019” list this month as well. 2019 was an exceptionally fine year for fiction, and my list includes quite a few lesser known novelists.
We hope you find this issue stimulating and thoughtful, and we’ll be back in January with more reviews and profiles. To go directly to the new issue, click onto www.aeqai.com/main. And there’s still time to send a year-end donation to Aeqai, if you’re able to; we are a nonprofit and can always use your help.
Please send any checks to Aeqai, Inc., c/o Daniel Brown, Treasurer, 810 Matson Place, Unit 1505, Cincinnati, Ohio 45204. And Happy New Year to all of you.
Daniel Brown
Editor, www.aeqai.com
