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The Center for Photography at Woodstock is pleased to announce its upcoming group exhibition Nutopia. The brainchild of the famed photographer, PLATON, the Nutopia Forum is an artistic collective dedicated to nurturing up-and-coming photographic talent. A conscious revival of the French salons of the 17th century, its members meet regularly to constructively critique and view each other's work, channel their creativity and facilitate the interchange of new ideas. The Forum is intended to serve as a democratic space where photography is appreciated in all its forms and indeed, the works represented span a variety of photographic disciplines, emphasizing portraiture but including landscape, documentary and fine art.

Dissatisfied with what he sees as the industry's tendency to ignore emerging photographers, Platon has used the Forum to mentor and champion young artists and in turn, be taught and inspired by them. While MIKE MCGREGOR, Platon's longtime assistant and fellow portraitist follows his traditions of producing engaging, lush black-and-white portraits, he also ventures into Sugar Hill, Harlem, to create a visual archive of its residents nearly 80 years after the Harlem Renaissance. Also working within a documentary framework, COLE BARASH and ANDREW HETHERINGTON explore the unique subcultures of snowboarders and motorcycle gangs, respectively. As SIMON HOWELL subtly critiques the suppression of Lakota history in present day South Dakota, SCOTT PASFIELD and HEATHER COURTNEY also question the influence of commercial imagery with sensitive eyes. The work of photographers like ANDREAS LASZLO KONRATH and JENNIFER TRAUSCH is more subject-based, and transforms everyday moments into intimate portraits imbued with wondrous, palpably surreal undertones. Also featured will be works by GRACE DOHERTY, PARI DUKOVIC, GLENN GLASSER, STEVEN LAXTON, SARA MACEL, CAILLA QUINN, MAURICIO QUINTERO, and JAMI SAUNDERS.

About the Curator:
Born in London in 1968, Platon received his MA in Photography and Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, where he was mentored by the late John Hind, creative director of British Vogue. Best known for his bold, graphic portraits of celebrities, he also shoots fashion and documentary work for a range of international publications, including The New Yorker, Time Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. Based in New York, he is a staff photographer at The New Yorker, signing a multi-year contract in 2008. His advertising credits include campaigns for the Wall Street Journal, Motorola, Nike, Converse, Verizon, Vittel, Levi's, IBM, Rolex, Ray-Ban, Tanqueray, Kenneth Cole, Issey Miyake, Moschino, Timex and Bertelsmann, among others. Platon's first monograph, "Platon's Republic", was published in 2004 by Phaidon Press. His work has been exhibited worldwide. Platon is represented by David Maloney, at Art Department in New York.


NUTOPIA will be on view in CPW’s main gallery from November 4 through December 20, 2009. 

The opening reception will be held on Saturday, November 14th from 5-7pm.

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