FotoFocus announced its first open call for submissions this week, asking for artists working "at the intersection of photography and new media in the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Tri-State area" to apply.
The artists selected will be a part of FotoFocus' juried exhibition, AutoUpdate, which will run from Sept. 14-Nov. 16, 2019. The exhibition will accompany FotoFocus' Symposium, AutoUpdate: Photography in the Electronic Age, which will explore digital technology's impact on photography and video and its "power to politically manipulate a media obsessed world," according to a release. The symposium will be held Oct. 5 at The Carnegie in Covington.
"We are committed to giving local and regional artists new opportunities. Our goal is that they continue to be a part of the global cultural dialogue and stay connected to other artists working in the field,” says Mary Ellen Goeke, FotoFocus executive director, in a release.
In part, the symposium's theme is inspired by a special 1994 edition of Aperture, which explored the possible uses and consequences of then just-emerging programs like Adobe Photoshop.
"AutoUpdate presents a much-needed update on how digital technologies have continued to affect our understanding of photography as an artistic medium and in our current age of 'post-truth' and artificial intelligence," reads the release.
The symposium, according to the release, will examine photography and film as it relates to the current political and technological climate. The event will also host a series of lectures, discussions and speakers — all of which will be announced this summer.
Submissions will be accepted through June 17, 2019 and will be judged by a panel taken from art organizations across the region, including Carissa Barnard of FotoFocus, Matt Distel of The Carnegie, Alice Gray Stites of the 21c Museum Hotel, Joey Tang from Beeler Gallery at Columbus Museum of Art and Michael Vetter from Newfields.
Artists can apply here.
