Sofia Coppola is the curator for the current Mapplethorpe showing at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris. Ooo-La-La!

Youth, liberation and the joy of losing yourself in the moment are elements that feature throughout Ryan McGinley’s work, from his early roots in documenting the urban adventures of his downtown Manhattan friends to his subsequent cross-country travels in utopian environments throughout America to his most recent studio portraits. McGinley’s elaborate and rigorous process of photo-making creates moments of breathtaking beauty: naked feral kids poised in ecstatic abandon. The lack of clothing and other contemporary signifiers along with the archetypical landscapes give the photos a sense of timelessness in which the viewer can project his or her own story.

Over the years McGinley’s work has evolved from documenting reality toward creating settings where the situations are choreographed. The process of carefully staging and directing ‘happenings’, often in beautiful rural landscapes, is increasingly more cinematic in tone, while retaining the spontaneity of his early work. This particular series is perhaps the most cinematic yet. The photos have developed a surreal, action-film quality—people ricocheting through unknown spaces, a couple starting up at an apocalyptic sky, figures falling from trees in wet darkness. They’re dramatic and moody, full of storms and rushing rivers and night skies.

In yet another departure, McGinley has incorporated black-and-white and color studio portraits of nudes and animals interacting in sometimes sweet, sometimes surprising ways. The use of animals is another facet of McGinley’s exploration of the natural world. They bring out the animalistic qualities of the nude figure, and the scratches on the bodies signify our desire to commune with nature and the excitement and risks inherent therein.

-from ryanmcginley.com

After having recently discovered the work of the late Mark Morrisroe, I picked up a book of his phenomenal work. If you’ve got forty bucks to spare, I highly recommend ordering it here. Here is an brief synopsis of his life and a selection of his photographs:

I started the Triangle Arts Residency in December and will be starting the Manhattan Graphics Center in February (both will last until June). First, I’d like to say how much I like residencies. Not only do you get access to a free studio, but you get to meet a variety of artists you otherwise may have never met. You also get supported in many ways. Here at Triangle Arts, there are interns that are extremely helpful if you need them, there is an open studio weekend, and they have visiting curators/gallerists. At Manhattan Graphics Center, I have the opportunity to take a variety of printmaking classes, full use of the studio, and a small materials stipend (which I will use toward a woodblock class and a new series of works).

Take a look at this guy’s photographs: www.toddhido.com