The Beanshoot Awards

So, friends, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? A whirlwind of activity, lots of transatlantic crossings, some amazing shows, lots of brilliant people, and, oh! the food! But this isn’t a food blog (though who knows what 2012 will bring) so, to belatedly borrow from the genre of the “Best of 2011”, here are the wildly subjective 2011 Beanshoot Awards, presented in no particular order:

Favourite Show Seen in the USA: Richard Mosse’s INFRA at Jack Shainman

Favourite Show Seen in the UK: Burke + Norfolk at the Tate Modern

(a tie with Taryn Simon’s A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters, at the same institution)

Favourite Show Seen in France: The Stein Family at the Grand Palais* 

Favourite Screening: An Evening With Diane Arbus and Marvin Israel** 

Show Most Regretfully Missed: Daido Moriyama’s Printing Show at Aperture

Best Book: I’m not even going there, or there, or there.***

Favourite Talk: “Family Matters” moderated by Susan Bright at Aperture

Favourite Portfolio Review Discovery: Jana Romanova’s “Waiting” project**** 

Favourite Book Launch: Bill Hunt’s The Unseen Eye at SVA Theatre

—————

* Lesson: don’t mess with Gertrude Stein. Seriously, though, Favourite PHOTO Show Seen in France: it’s a tie between Kathy Ryan’s and Graciela Iturbide’s shows at the Rencontres d’Arles.

** Also a contender for best dog-naming strategy.

*** Thank you Marc Feustel.

**** Seen at nofound_phototalks’s portfolio reviews.