Maggie Smith

November 27, 2010 - February 27, 2011 

Work by Czech artist Katerina Seda (b. 1977) is currently on view at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. Seda is interested in small things in daily life that appear either problematic or obvious. She runs projects in which she proposes games involving members of her family or people from small villages. These humorous projects often serve to encourage communication between people and they can also result in real solutions to problems.

The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) will begin accepting applications January 1, 2011 for the second annual grant of the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography (MPS Fund). Through the MPS Fund, established in honor of legendary New Orleans photographer Michael P. Smith, NOPA awards one $5,000 grant annually to a Gulf Coast photographer whose work combines artistic excellence and a sustained commitment to a long-term cultural documentary project. Both emerging and established photographers residing in the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are eligible to apply. The subject matter for the proposed project, however, is not limited to the Gulf Coast region. Applications will be accepted from January 1, 2011 to February 28, 2011.

With NEW POTT. 100 Light /100 Faces, Mischa Kuball has devised a work that examines the multicultural reality of the Ruhr metropolis in Germany. How does one go about depicting the multicultural essence of the region artistically? Mischa Kuball has opted for a participatory project: people and their families from all over the world, now living in the Ruhrgebiet, become active participants in his project. The artist gives them a lamp to illuminate their private space, converting it into a stage - a platform upon which the artist and people from 100 different countries encounter one another. They tell him their life stories and the specific reason for emigrating, as well as reflecting the twilight experience of being stuck between two cultures. In so doing, the bright floor lamps act as illuminated signs of both the encounter and exchange.