Artist Entry 3: John Shimon & Julie Lindemann

Two things have been on my mind lately in relation to my on-going series.  The first is the importance of the nostalgic aspect of the project and the second is the journey that one must take to achieve one's goals.  In this case the goal is to take photographs of objects before they are gone forever. In thinking about these things I came across the work of John Shimon and Julie Lindemann. They are photographers that collaborate on all of their projects.   The project which caused me to become interested in their work was the “real photo survey” project.  This project is a commissioned work in which Shimon and Lindemann photograph people in the small town of Manitowoc using Palladium printing process [1].  It’s really interesting to me that they use this old process to draw attention to their photographs.   They really do have an aged appearance that gives them a feeling of nostalgia. In an interview by Pierre Filliquet  with Shimon and Lindemann they say that by drawing through all phases of photography they can see the same things in different ways [2].  This statement helps me to conclude one thing I try to make a big deal about as an photographer.  The process is just as important as the actual photograph.   They also said “To photograph these people and print the portraits in platinum or gum makes their existence monumental in a quiet way. It also brings associations with history and art history.”   So, using a process that makes something appear old makes it capable of historical value whether it was shot today or 50 years.  This is different from my black and white conversion with added textures.  I think the idea of the image quality / manipulation to be an interesting concept.


Biography

John Shimon (b. 1961) & Julie Lindemann (b. 1957) have been photographing collaboratively since the mid-1980s. 

We met as college students in Madison where we formed a band, Hollywood Autopsy. John sold his flock of sheep and we moved to New York a few weeks after graduation. Within a year, we realized we could best photograph what we knew and returned to Wisconsin.
Our projects include St. Nazianz, The Elders, Animal Husbandry, Salon Portraits, Midwestern Rebellion, Pictures of Non-Famous People, One Million Years is Three Seconds, Go-Go Girls, and What We Do Here . This work examines the remote corner of the rural Midwest where we have spent most of our lives. In 1989, we moved our studio into a 19th century warehouse storefront building in downtown Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We ran Neo-Post-Now Gallery in the storefront for a brief time.
Solo shows have been mounted at many galleries and museums including Sarah Bowen Gallery (New York), Wendy Cooper Gallery (Chicago), Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin Academy GalleryWisconsin Academy Gallery (Madison) and Milwaukee Art Museum (Milwaukee). Our prints are in numerous public collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Wisconsin Historical Society. We've photographed for Fortune, Metropolis, New York, People, and The New York Times Magazine and have received project grants from the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Our work is featured in Wisconsin Then and Now: The Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Rephotography Project by Nicolette Bromberg (University of Wisconsin Press, 2001), Photography's Antiquarian Avant-Garde: The New Wave in Old Processes by Lyle Rexer (Harry N. Abrams, 2002), Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self by Coco Fusco and Brian Wallis (Harry N. Arbrams, 2003), Season's Gleamings: The Art of the Aluminum Christmas Tree (Melcher Media, 2004), and Unmasked & Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann Consider Portraiture by Lisa Hostetler (Milwaukee Art Museum, 2008).
We have bachelors degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1983), and Masters degrees from Illinois State University, Normal (1989) where we studied under Rhondal McKinney and photographed for the Rural Documentary Collection. We are Assistant Professors of Art at Lawrence University.

[1] Brehmer, Debra. "Real photo postcard survey project | Portrait Society Gallery." Portrait Society Gallery | A gallery devoted to portrait-related art work.. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://portraitsocietygallery.wordpress.com/weekly-found-portrait/>.

[2] Filliquet, Pierre. "shimon and lindemann." accueil galerie photo. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://www.galerie-photo.com/shimon-lindemann_english.html>.

[3] Shimon, John , and Julie Lindemann (. "J. Shimon & J. Lindemann, Photographers." J. Shimon & J. Lindemann, Photographers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2010. <http://www.shimonlindemann.com/>.

Interview: http://www.galerie-photo.com/shimon-lindemann_english.html
Gallery: http://portraitsocietygallery.wordpress.com/weekly-found-portrait/
Aritist Website: http://www.shimonlindemann.com/

all images © John Shimon & Julie Lindemann