CURRENT EXHIBITION

WE SHOW HERE, DECEMBER 1 – 24, 2016

Cara Barer  Elaine Duigenan  Odette England  Max de Esteban  Cornelia Hediger

Matthew-Robert Hughes  Doug Keyes  Sarah Lynch  Robert Moran

Jim Naughten  Helen Sear  Vojtech V. Slama  Frederic Weber

During the month of December, and leading up to the Christmas and New Year holidays, we are exhibiting a wonderfully diverse selection of contemporary photographs. Each of the artworks are small to medium-sized, framed and ready to be taken away. The perfect 'gift of art'. 

If you don't see what you're looking for on the gallery walls, let us know! We'll dive into the gallery inventory and help you to find the perfect artwork. 

The gallery has artworks ranging in values from $300 through to $68,000. So, whatever your budget, we're pretty certain we have you covered.

Each Saturday, we'll also be offering some special sales, on both artworks and photobooks. These offers will be limited to those specific days, and collectors will be alerted via the Gallery Newsletter. If you're not on our mailing list, you can SIGN UP HERE.

AIPAD 2016: JIM NAUGHTEN

White-Handed Gibbon, 2015

Series Title: Animal Kingdom

Number of artworks at AIPAD: 2

Edition: 10 + 2APs

Size: 18" x 23"

Medium: Archival Pigment Print (Stereoscope)

Year: 2014

"Jim Naughten is an artist who understands the transformative effects that photography can have on a subject. In each of his previous projects he has been concerned with reanimating  history. His latest images of Victorian and Edwardian zoo-logical specimens continue this overarching visual enquiry  but incorporate in addition a fascinating venture into three-dimensional imaging. They are captivating enough even when  seen in two dimensions. But once you plunge into the marvel  of their stereoscopic depth you are transfixed. Through the  act of viewing, an intangible transformation takes place. While  the photographs exist in physical form on paper, they also live as an experience, a beautiful illusion held in the mind".—Martin Barnes Senior Curator of Photographs, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Animal Kingdom has just been released as a monograph by Prestel, with a book-signing at The Photography Show, on Saturday 2:00pm–3:00pm. 

Reclining Iguanadon, 2016

Series Title: Dinosaur Island

Number of artworks at AIPAD: 2

Edition: 10 + 2APs

Size: 12" x 23"

Medium: Archival Pigment Print (Stereoscope)

Year: 2016

A herd of concrete dinosaurs have stood in the improbable habitat of Crystal Palace Park (London) since 1851. The ambitious sculptures cling to the banks of a manmade lake and populate a string of small of islands. Conceived at the cutting edge of Victorian comparative anatomy, they are the earliest known attempt at creating life size dinosaur models . Despite the best efforts of their creator, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, they are less than perfect specimens. With no complete fossils to work from as blueprints, and some mismatches between fossil bone and species, mistakes were unknowingly made. They appear as distant, distorted cousins of the dinosaurs we recognize today.

Those familiar with the South London site get a glimpse of the sculptures at closer proximity than is achievable on a regular Sunday stroll. Naughten required special permission and the use of a small boat to reach his subject. These are photographs with a low centre of gravity. We peer through the riotously colored undergrowth not as a distant observer, but as a fellow creature or as a cautious naturalist might. Facing these concrete monuments to flawed science, one can’t help but question which elements of contemporary science will be rendered naive and inaccurate in the future, and what pictures might be made between these knowledge gaps.

Animal Kingdom and Dinosaur Island will be exhibited at the Klompching Gallery April 20–May 28, 2016. Opening reception: April 21, 6pm–8pm. 

Jim Naughten (b. 1969) is an internationally-exhibited artist, including a solo show at the Imperial War Museum (London) and inclusion in the UK's Royal Academy Summer Show (2012). He is the recipient of several awards, including a commendation from The National Portrait Gallery's Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. His first series of photographs, Re-enactors, was published as a monograph (Hotshoe Books, 2009), with several photographs acquired by The Imperial War Museum (UK). The Hereros series was published as Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013). 

AIPAD 2015: JIM NAUGHTEN

Herero Cadet in Kilt, 2012

Series Title: Herero

Number of artworks at AIPAD: 8

Edition: 10 + 2APs & 3 + 2APs

Size: 24" x 20” & 50” x 41”

Medium: C-Type

Year: 2012

The photographer, Jim Naughten, has an abiding interest in collective perceptions of history and relationships with the past.  With this series of portraits, he is not so much interested in the individuals themselves as subjects, but the costumes being worn and their significance in forming a cultural identity.

In the case of the Hereros, it is the adoption of 19th Century European clothing, originally introduced to the Herero people by German missionaries, traders and immigrants during the time of Deutsch-Südwestafrika. Taken out of the context of the subjects’ everyday lives, the portraits are photographed against the stark backdrop of the Namib Desert. Each figure is isolated, bringing forth the vivid colors of voluminous petticoated gowns, cattle-horn-shaped headdresses and colorful military uniforms, to center stage in a spectacular fashion. The unusual vantage point presents the subjects—although anonymous—as empowered, stoic and regal.

Gibbon, 2014

Series Title: Animal Kingdom

Number of artworks at AIPAD: 2

Edition: 10 + 2APs

Size: 18" x 23"

Medium: Archival Pigment Print

Year: 2014

"Jim Naughten is an artist who understands the transformative effects that photography can have on a subject. In each of his previous projects he has been concerned with reanimating  history. His latest images of Victorian and Edwardian zoo-logical specimens continue this overarching visual enquiry  but incorporate in addition a fascinating venture into three-dimensional imaging. They are captivating enough even when  seen in two dimensions. But once you plunge into the marvel  of their stereoscopic depth you are transfixed. Through the  act of viewing, an intangible transformation takes place. While  the photographs exist in physical form on paper, they also live as an experience, a beautiful illusion held in the mind. 

Naughten embodies the fertile marriage between nature  and art in his Animal Kingdom. He dedicated a year refining  the project, solving technical challenges and gathering images during visits to numerous museums. The photo- graphs are individually coherent, but form part of a typology, a comparative study of types. Embracing the aesthetic and working reality of the archive, he shows the patina of time and handling in the fading labels, old typefaces and peeling black backing paint of the specimens in fluid. He also echoes museums’ classification systems, arranging his final edited  fifty images into five groups — Marine, Reptile, Mammal,  Avian and Primate – reflecting the sequential and chronological evolution of man."—Martin Barnes Senior Curator of Photographs, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Jim Naughten (b. 1969) is an internationally-exhibited artist, including a solo show at the Imperial War Museum in London and inclusion in the UK’s Royal Academy Summer Show (2012). He is the recipient of several awards, including a commendation from The National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. His first series of photographs, Re-enactors, was published as a monograph (Hotshoe Books, 2009), with several photographs acquired by The Imperial War Museum (UK). The Hereros series was published as Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013).

To learn more about Jim Naughten's newly released Animal Kingdom series, view a video HERE, in which the artist talks about the work. 

JIM NAUGHTEN: Contact Photography Festival

Hereros at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

May 1 – August 18, 2014

We are delighted to announce, that Jim Naughten's Hereros series will be exhibited at the 2014 Contact Photography Festival. A selection of his work, curated by Bonnie Rubenstein, will be shown at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, as part of the festival's public installations program.

Herero Woman Marching, 2012 © Jim Naughten

Further information can be found here.

To see more from the series, with print sale information, visit the gallery website.

JIM NAUGHTEN: PHOTOFESTIVAL KNOKKE-HEIST

Photofestival Knokke-Heist 2014
March 30–June 9, 2014

We are very pleased to announce the inclusion  of Jim Naughten's Hereros series in the 2014 installment of the Knokke-Heist photography festival in Belgium.

A selection of photographs from the Hereros series have been curated into the outdoor exhibition, entitled Haute Afrika, with one of the Naughten's photographs featured on the cover of the exhibition catalogue.

The festival website can be found here. 

"The title of this year’s outdoor exhibition, ‘Haute Afrika’, does not refer to a geographic region on the African continent, but to ‘Haute Couture’, or the art of creating custom-fitted clothing. We Westerners commonly associate this with big cities such as London, Paris, Milan or New York and consider haute couture to be the epitome of fashion. By incorporating Africa in this traditionally French concept, we arrive at a word combo which defies the imagination. “Haute Afrika”, a place where creativity contributes to prosperity.  

Here you won’t see photos of violent revolutions, dried out deserts or poverty. Instead this outdoor exhibition features photos of the creative inhabitants of this great continent, who showcase their sense of entrepreneurship and their “passion for fashion”.  

The photo festival zooms in on the work of photographers who communicate a multi-tiered message about African society through its fashion culture. “Haute Afrika” presents a specific type of image, with social, political and economic implications. By showing work by foreign artists who visited the continent, as well as photos by African photographers, “Haute Afrika” chooses to highlight different perspectives".—Festival Statement.

The Hereros series was first shown at the Klompching Gallery in March–April 2013, featured by the gallery at the 2013 AIPAD Photo Show and published as a monograph by Merrell Publishers (2013). Read about a museum acquisition from the series here, and a current museum exhibition in which one of the photographs is included here. 

Jim Naughten's Hereros series can be viewed online, and if you have an interest in acquiring photographs, please contact the gallery for the PDF catalogue. 

2014 LUNAR NEW YEAR

In Chinese astrology, 2014 is the year of the Horse. In celebration of this, we thought it timely to showcase some photographs by our artists, that feature horses in one way or another. These photographs are available for purchase, let us know if you have an interest in hanging these on your walls!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Happy New Year!)

Herero Cavalry Marching © Jim Naughten

The Hunt © Antony Crossfield

Pavel and Listok © Simon Roberts

JIM NAUGHTEN: HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART

Back in April 2013, we were delighted to place Herero Woman in Patchwork Dress, by Jim Naughten, into the collection of Cherye R. and James F. Pierce. This iconic photograph from the Hereros series, was featured on the cover of Naughten's second monograph, Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013), formed a center-piece for the his solo exhibition at the gallery in March–April 2013, and was featured at the gallery's first exhibition at the 2013 AIPAD Photo Show, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

Exhibition Poster for Decisive Moments

Image: courtesy of Honolulu Museum of Art

We are now especially thrilled, that the photograph will be shown at the Honolulu Museum of Art, as part the extensive exhibition showcasing the photography collection of Cherye R. and James F. Pierce. 

The exhibition opens on December 18th and runs through to June 8th, 2014.

Further information about the exhibition is available here

Additional photographs from the Hereros series can be viewed here

MUSEUM ACQUISITION

MFAH Acquires Jim Naughten Photograph

We are delighted to announce that the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has acquired Herero Woman in Blue Dress, by the British photographer Jim Naughten. The acquisition was made possible through the museum's Photo Forum Patron Group. 

Herero Woman in Blue Dress, 2012 © Jim Naughten

The photograph forms part of the Hereros series, which was exhibited at the gallery as a solo exhibition in March–April, 2013 and showcased at the 2013 AIPAD Photo Show. The exhibition was accompanied by the release of the photobook Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013); Naughten's second monograph.

A selection of the series can be viewed online here, with the portraits available as follows:

24" x 20", Edition of 10 + 2 APs

50" x 41", Edition of 3 + 2 APs

JIM NAUGHTEN: THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

Contemporary Art and War, October 13 — February 24, 2014

Photographs from Jim Naughten's series, Re-enactors, were acquired by the Imperial War Museum's (London) permanent collection several years ago. They're now being shown in the museum's Manchester venue, as part of an exhibition entitled, Contemporary Art and War.

In this body of work, Naughten has photographed some of the thousands of people, who step out of their daily lives to transform into historical characters from the First and Second World Wars and re-enact battles and drills.  Naughten has investigated the phenomena of re-enactment culture with a formal photographic rigor, that contributes to the role of photography in reinventing history. 

Civilian with Black Fox Fur, 2008 © Jim Naughten

The striking detail of each image draws attention to the exactness of the costumes being worn, and to the expressions of the subjects. Titled only with reference to nationality, unit and rank—nothing of the real lives of the individuals is revealed. The viewer is compelled to look and to wonder about who chooses to play a WWI Gunner, a US Medic, a civilian or an SS Officer?

Inspired by Richard Avedon’s In The American West, Naughten has stripped away the context of the participants, heightening the sense of artifice, and through photographic technique, sublimated his subjects. These flawless photograph—that include tanks and battle scenes—chromatically echo photographs of the past, yet are undoubtedly contemporary.

Information about the exhibition can be found HERE.

The Re-enactors series can be viewed on the gallery website HERE.

JIM NAUGHTEN: IN HIS OWN WORDS

Artist Talk at the Gather – Breaking New Ground 2013 Event

Jim Naughten gave a short presentation this week, as part of an event–championing photography and creativity–at which four photographers shared their experiences of photographing in remote and challenging places. Here, Naughten talks about the Hereros series, exhibited at the gallery in March-April, 2013.

Video uploaded from You Tube via Getty Images

Le Monde Features Jim Naughten

The French publication, Le Monde, has profiled Jim Naughten's Hereros series in a ten-page feaure, which also appears online here. If you have not visited the gallery to see this remarkable exhibition, we urge you to do so before it closes on Saturday, May 4th, 6pm.

All above page spreads ©Le Monde

Wall Street Journal Reviews Jim Naughten

 Jim Naughten: Conflict and Costume – William Meyers

April 5, 2013 

The emphasis in Jim Naughten's 2012 photos of the Herero people of Namibia is on their clothing, which is adopted from that of their former colonial occupiers and has elements relating to their own pastoral heritage. Their land was claimed by Germany from 1884 until the end of World War I; when they rebelled, the Germans waged a war of extermination against them. As many as 85% of the Herero were killed; some in combat, many by being driven into the desert and deprived of water, others in extermination camps.

The Herero women wear gowns modeled after the Victorian outfits their people first encountered more than 100 years ago. They have brightly colored full skirts that fall to the ground, leg-of-mutton sleeves and unique headgear of the same material made to stick out like cattle horns. Mr. Naughten (b. 1968) photographed them outdoors with the white sand of the desert and clear blue skies as backdrops, and used a low vantage point to draw attention to their dignified postures. The men wear ersatz military uniforms made from bits of this and that; there are faux insignia, epaulettes, captain's caps (including one made out of cardboard) and simulated greaves. A cadet wears a plaid kilt and bonnet, maybe in reference to the British who succeeded the Germans. In one dramatic image, two dozen Herero women in long red skirts, full black blouses, and their unique red headgear parade across the desert.

 
—Mr. Meyers writes on photography for The Wall Street Journal. 
See his work at williammeyersphotography.com.

Jim Naughten – Interviews & Acquisitions

Our artist, Jim Naughten – in case you haven't noticed – has been kept very busy this past few weeks, having been booked solidly for interviews with a range of different publicatons. We were fortunate to be able to squeeze in an interview for At Length magazine, just prior to the opening of Conflict and Costume, here at the gallery. You can read the interview here.

The Morning News have also just published an interview, including a slide show of photographs. This interview can be read here.

If you haven't had an opportunity to view the exhibition, there's plenty of time. The show runs through to May 4, 2013. Sales of the photographs have been 'robust', so if you have an interest in acquiring artworks from this new series, we recommend you talk to us very soon, as the prices increase as the editions sell.

Herero Women in Patchwork Dresses (2012) ©Jim Naughten

PORTRAITS

20" x 24", Edition of 10 + 2 AP's

41" x 50", Edition of 3 + 2 AP's

PANORAMAS

14" x 30", Edition of 10 + 2 AP's

24" x 50", Edition of 5 + 2 AP's

We're also delighted to have on display in our viewing room, a selection of photographs from the Re-enactors series, which formed Jim Naughten's first monograph, published by Hotshoe in 2009, and his first solo exhibition at the gallery in 2010.

Civilian with Black Fox Fur (2008) ©Jim Naughten

 

 PORTRAITS & VEHICLES

17 5/8" x 23 3/4", Edition of 10 + 2 AP's

PANORAMAS (Battle Scenes)

21.5" x 59 1/8, Edition of 5 + 2 AP's

Le Journal de la Photographie Interviews Jim Naughten

In today's issue of Le Journal de la Photographie, Miss Rosen interviews Jim Naughten about his acclaimed new series of photographs, depicting the Herero people of Namibia. His exhibition, here at the gallery, opens in two days. It's installed, and we don't mind saying that it looks rather magnificant!

"Costume. How we define ourselves when we stand upon the world’s stage and read from the scripts we draft. In donning an ensemble, we assume a posture, an attitude, an aesthetic that we accept as how we see ourselves, and how we wish to be seen. Costume can shape identity the way the corset shapes a woman’s waist. It can take hold and command a sense of respect, of pride, and of purpose, and in this way it can become the most subversive thing on earth".–Miss Rosen, March 2013.

“I see the clothes as symbolic of survival and strength, but particularly of a kind of defiance. In that sense, they are heroic. The taking and wearing of their enemies clothing is considered a way of absorbing and diminishing their power. They march and drill after the German fashion of the period, and ride horseback with extraordinary skill (horses were introduced by the settlers). To me the Herero are undiminished and have an extraordinary grace and presence”. –Jim Naughten

 

Screen grab from Le Journal de la Photographie ©Le Journal de la Photographie 2011

Sir Paul Smith says ...

Here at the Klompching Gallery we're not only passionate about photography. We have a great love for the visual arts and this extends to design, including product design (furniture, books, kitchen tools, fashion ... ). There's nothing better than experiencing beautiful objects! One of our favorite stores in New York is the Paul Smith outlet on Fifth Avenue. We love to peruse all that is on offer – often salivating (metaphorically, of course!) over more that can be purchased! One of the delights of the store, is looking through the selection of art books. We're usually impressed with the selection of what is stocked.

So, when we learned that Sir Paul has a copy of Jim Naughten's photo book, Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013), we were not only suitably impressed that he had a copy, but bowled over that he 'loves' it! Merrell Publishers have produced a great book, that celebrates a truly accomplished series of photographs by our gallery artist.

One of the many accomplishments of Jim Naughten's Hereros series, is the extent to which it reaches out to such a wide audience. The fashion aspect is one, and is so multifarious in meaning itself, that it should be celebrated!

"I really love my new book, Conflict and Costume: The Herero Tribe of Namibia, by Jim Naughten. It is an amazing visual publication, showing this tribe's magnificant costumes, which are a real fashion statement. Words won't do this book justice: you have to see it for yourself". –Sir Paul Smith (March 12, 2013)

 

Screen grab from Mr Porter web page. ©2013 Mr Porter.

Announcing Klompching Editions

We're delighted to announce a new initiative, through which the gallery will occasionally make available, a special edition of a photograph.

The special editions will vary from an artist's regular edition – through a variation of the edition size, print type and scale of the artwork. Our special editions are specifically developed with the young and/or new collector in mind, presenting an entry-level option to invest in a high caliber artwork.

We're launching Klompching Editions with Herero Woman In Yellow Dress, by Jim Naughten.
 

Herero Woman in Yellow Dress (2012) ©Jim Naughten

SPECIAL EDITION DETAILS:

Title: Herero Woman in Yellow Dress (2012)
Size: 10" x 12.3" image on 11" x 14" sheet
Medium: Archival Pigment Print
Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl
Ink: Epson Ultrachrome HDR
Printer: Gotham Imaging, New York
Provenance: Direct from the artist
Edition: 50
Price: $300 USD
Certificate of Authenticity signed by Artist + Gallery Stamp

Click here to acquire this stunning photograph!

We're including a signed complimentary copy of Conflict and Costume (Merrell, 2013) with the first TEN prints purchased, as long as the order is received before March 16th (EST).

Hardback

108 pages

75 illustrations, 70 in color, 1 map

29 x 25 cm (11.5 x 9.75 in)

ISBN: 978-1-8589-4600-9

Published March 2013

Retail value: $50 USD

Jim Naughten in the Independent On Sunday

Below is the wonderfully laid-out feature, that appeared in the Independent On Sunday, 10th February 2013.

We're looking forward to presenting this stunning series of photographs, with an artist reception on the evening of March 14th. Jim Naughten will be attending, and we'll also be hosting  a book signing on Saturday, 16th.

The exhibition overlaps with our first booth at the renowned AIPAD Photography Fair at the Park Avenue Armory – so our Spring is looking like it's full of the 'wow' factor like never before!

We have something special to announce, regarding Jim Naughten's work, so stay tuned for that – it's imminent!

Are you on our mailing list for Gallery Invitations, Newsletters and Sales Updates?
You can sign up here.

 

Jim Naughten in British Journal of Photography

 Herero Cavalry Marching (2012) ©Jim Naughten

A ten-page feature on Jim Naughten's new series is presented in the British Journal of Photography's February issue.

"What really interests me is history and trying to make a connection with it," says Naughten. "I read a great deal of history books and I suppose I'm trying to make my own version with a camera. With Hereros (as with Re-enactors), the clothes and the uniforms are the story." –Jim Naughten

Follow this link to the gallery website, where you can download a PDF of the original article.

Jim Naughten in Photo District News

 Herero Women Marching (2012) ©Jim Naughten

Photo District News has profiled Jim Naughten's new series of photographs, depicting the Herero people of Namibia. The profile appears in the Exposures section of the March issue, currently on the newstands.

"For his new book, Jim Naugten created typological photographs of Namibia's Herero people, whose military and civilian clothes are symbols of their historic struggle against colonialism ... Naughten's full-length, typological portraits show women in beautiful dresses, men in dapper suits and hats, and soldiers and cadets in uniforms that recall Germany's colonial army, but that are accented with colorful reds and blues. The desert and cerulean sky lend a consistency to the backgrounds and serve to set off the colorful costumes ... Naughten's color palette lends the images an otherworldly quality, and there is something fantastic about the combination of the costumes and the stark desert." – Conor Risch

 Follow this link to the gallery website, where you can download the PDF of the original article.

JIM NAUGHTEN

2012 AOP Awards

Congratulations to our artist, Jim Naughten, who has been awarded a best in category award for a non-commissioned portrait series by the Association of Photographers (AOP).

The award is given for his series Hereros. We'll be exhibiting this striking body of photographs at the gallery in Spring 2013.

More details will follow, but in the meantime, here's a preview.

From Hereros ©Jim Naughten

From Hereros ©Jim Naughten

From Hereros ©Jim Naughten