Economy of Scale

November 7 - December 23, 2009

Last Wednesday I attended the opening for the Economy of Scale, the current photography exhibition at Hemphill. An exhibition curated on the notion of does size matter? In a time when Jeff Wall is making mundane images that are as big as a billboard and they are selling for a half million dollars or more you might get the idea that size does matter. The exhibition at Hemphill offers the viewer a wide range of work in all sizes that plays with the ideal of scale on many level. The artist range form Robert Frank to anonymous and this suggest that the viewer should forget about the whom and just think about the what. I however was so taken with a small Robert Frank, Men of Air, NYC, 1948 that was placed by the entrance that I had a hard time letting going of the whom. During the opening it did appear that the maybe the best work was being kept in the back. After a quick zig around the cocktail table it appeared that there were hidden treasures gracing the back walls. I am sure that there was another piece by Franz Jantzen and a large Colby Caldwell just waiting in the hall.

http://www.hemphillfinearts.com/ 1 5 1 5 1 4 T H ST N W W A S H I N G T O N , D C 2 0 0 0 5 2 0 2 . 2 3 4 . 5 6 0 1