Andrea Wedig

After I posted about Fraternal Instincts last week, I had the chance to catch up with photographer Andrea Wedig, K. Allyson Petty's collaborator and partner in crime. She was kind enough to indulge our lingering curiosities by answering a few more questions.


(Above: Loc Finn. See more... )

Curios: What do you think has been the biggest benefit of collaborating on a project? How has it strengthened the work? And what were the challenges?

Andrea: Collaborating with a partner on a project like this has been such a great experience. Having someone else to work with brings in new ideas and inspirations from a different perspective. Certainly not all partnerships go this well, but Allyson and I have very similar taste and I think that really adds a cohesive element to the show. We actually didn't even see the bulk of each other's work until we were printing and that's when we realized how well our work compliments each other's. I think the only challenge with working with Allyson was to make sure that I stayed on track so that I didn't let her down. We are really good friends and have a lot of respect for each other which was a strong foundation for our project and was key to its success.

Curios: Both you and Allyson chose to shoot this work with lo-fi cameras. Was there a particular reason for that decision? Why did you choose to shoot with a Polaroid?

Andrea: I don't think Allyson and I ever sat down and officially decided to go lo-fi for this show. It just came about really as we went through the process of putting things together. For me, the appeal of the SX-70 camera is the freedom of limited control. Most of my other work is done digitally and involves a lot of preparation and setup, so this was a way to bring everything back to a much more simplified process. All of the images were found rather than planned out. I am also attracted to the juxtaposition of capturing spontaneous moments with a disappearing medium. Instant gratification helps too :)

Curios: What's the future for Fraternal Instincts? Will it be showing again?

Andrea: Currently, Fraternal Instincts is looking for new places to visit. Allyson and I would really love to take it to other cities and show it off a bit. We're looking at LA and New York, maybe even Berlin. We'll see!

Curios: What projects are you working on now or do you have planned for the future? After the success of Fraternal Instincts, will you and Allyson be teaming up again soon?

Andrea: I have quite a few images that were taken while shooting for Fraternal Instincts that I love but just weren't the right images for the words Allyson and I choose. So, I am finishing up those and will have them online soon. I am also working on a photo project that is more of a personal narrative and somewhat autobiographical. For the future, I would love to get into adding a video element to my work, but its still in the research phases right now.
I would absolutely work with Allyson again! I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with. We've discussed making Fraternal Instincts an annual project which I think would be awesome.


(Above: China Dam. See more of Andrea's photos ... )

Thank you so much Andrea. It has been wonderful getting to know a little about you guys and your work.

So, that's it for our reporting on these two wonderfully talented photographers (not to mention fabulous human beings). I'll stay in touch with them and keep everyone updated on any new projects, as well as, what's new at Youngblood and the progress of Fraternal Instincts.

As for us, Curios is working on a new direction. Inspired, in part, by Anna, Allyson, and Andrea. So, we'll keep you posted on that. In the meantime, I'm going to get everyone caught up on what I've been up to. Did I tell you I had a photo exhibition back in August? No? Well, word. I've transitioned into a new, but temporary job at Emory. And I sold my embroidery piece from my senior show. More about all that to come ... stay tuned.

sick mama

My mom has been sick and having to stay in the hospital for the last few days. It seems she has a staff infection in her lungs. (Eeek!, right?) But she'll be better and heading home in a few more days. So, all is well and I'll try to let you know sooner when something like that is going to take me away for a few days. Now, back to business.

Youngblood Gallery and Fraternal Instincts

Today, I'm really excited to be showcasing Youngblood Gallery and Boutique, their current exhibition Fraternal Instincts, and photographers K. Allyson Petty and Andrea Wedig.  But before we get into all that, let me explain why Youngblood is my favorite art gallery in the great city of Atlanta.  Youngblood got it's start in 1997 inside the shared home of its founders Maggie White and Kelly Teasley.  Having grown tired of the Atlanta art gallery establishment’s refusal to exhibit incredibly talented, yet unknown local artists, the two decided to begin curating exhibitions in their own living room.  The response was enormous...

In 1999, Youngblood open it's first gallery space in Grant Park.  Since then, they have become a leader for Atlanta's burgeoning underground and independent art communities.  In 2003, they expanded their space by converting studio space beside the gallery into a shop featuring items handmade or designed by artists.  

For a decade now, Youngblood has been recognized for it's support of the indie-craft and graffiti art movements, not to mention helping to launch careers of hundreds of Atlanta-based artists and artisans.  They have been featured in numerous publications such as Creative Loafing, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and Lucky Magazine.  Their current show, Fraternal Instincts, is part of the Atlanta Celebrates Photography festival and features a series of photographic diptychs by Allyson Petty and Andrea Wedig.  

I had the chance to talk to Allyson, one-half of the Fraternal Instincts duo, and asked her to tell me a little more about the show.

Current show: Fraternal Instincts  (through October 26)

Curios: How did you and Andrea Wedig end up partnering for this show?

Allyson: Andrea and I met 3 years ago when we worked together briefly(there's even more of a "6 degrees" story there, but I will spare you) and we almost instantly had a connection. We started hanging out more regularly outside of work. So, I guess sometime in the Spring we decided we wanted to try to do a show together and that was that.

Curios: What was your collaboration process?

Allyson: We collaborated over a few weeks about what to do and then we basically sat down and created a list of words which would become the titles of each piece. We would both photograph with our own interpretation of those words and present the works side by side as diptychs.

Curios: What's the meaning behind the title of the show, Fraternal Instincts?

Allyson: The title of the show was more or less a play on our technique, like, we were making a piece of art based on a word, so our "instinct" was whatever resulted. "Fraternal" was in reference to fraternal twins, and that our photographs, although using different techniques are very similar.

Isolation, diptych. Allyson Petty & Andrea Wedig, 2008. 24x24, $250 each. 

Curios:What kind of cameras or techniques did you use?

Allyson: As far as the techniques go...
I used a variety of cameras(Holga, Diana, Hasselblad) and shot film, then I scan them to color correct and clean up in Photoshop. Andrea shot Polaroid(sx70) film then scanned them and added to textures to them in Photoshop. We made all the frames ourselves, with the help of Andrea's husband Tim.


Both Allyson and Andrea share their work on flickr and their respective blogs. Check them out.
K. Allyson Petty :  blog and flickr.
Andrea Wedig : blog and flickr.

Learn more about upcoming shows, the shop, and lots of other great stuff by visiting Youngblood's blog. Opening receptions are held the first Saturday of each month. 
November: Tweet Design's 1st Annual Day of the Dead Show. Tweet Design is an Atlanta-based graphic design studio owned by Buffi Aguero and Tracy Wagner. The show features custom works on miniature coffins from over 50 talented artists from Atlanta and around the country. The series will open Saturday, November 1st from 7-10 pm and remain on view through November 30th.
December: A group show featuring works united in the theme of “home” by 40 Atlanta-based artists. The series opens Saturday, December 6 and remains on view through December 28, 2008. Each small work is affordably priced under $200.

Thanks Anna, Allyson, and Andrea for inspiring this post.  You guys are amazing and Curios will definitely be keeping up with all of you as your work continues.

Obama love

C'mon, who's feelin' it?

1. Design for Obama. Free pdfs for printing.
2. Freddy & Ma Tote Bag. $25.
3. Shepard Fairey installation in L.A. Via The Obama Art Report.
4. Vote for Change prints. Demo Design.