INSTITUTE for Artist Management

Visura Magazine, issue 8 is entirely dedicated to INSTITUTE

NEW FEATURE: SALTON SEA by Gerd Ludwig

A victim of geography and hard-ball politics, the Salton Sea is California's largest, most troubled lake. It lies 227 feet below sea level with no outlets and very thirsty neighbors, including a billion dollar farm economy in the bone-dry Imperial Valley, 124 golf courses, and salt laden wetlands hosting a menagerie of wildlife in growing crisis. 

With low levels of rainfall and only few inlets, the Salton Sea depends on the Imperial Valley's agricultural run-offs for its survival. The run-offs, however, are filled with nutrients from the fields, creating algae blooms that deplete the Sea's oxygen and kill much of its fish population. In the 1990's this oxygen depletion created a massive die-off, several million fish in a single day, triggering a bout of avian botulism that felled some 10,000 pelicans.   (The pelican is just one of many bird species that migrate to the area along the Pacific flyway in the tens of thousands.)

Now another concern is looming. In order to sustain the Imperial Valley's billion-dollar farm economy, the area soaks up more water than Los Angeles and Las Vegas combined - water that neighbouring populations, like San Diego in the south and Palm Desert in the north, rely upon. In the fight over water rights, the Salton Sea may well be the loser. Already 25% saltier than the Pacific Ocean, the salinity in the Salton Sea is expected to constantly increase, potentially killing all of its life and turning it into a biologically dead sea.

Limited Edition Books and Prints are now available from the (new) INSTITUTE STORE

Visit our new store to buy Limited Edition Books and Prints by Simon Norfolk, Gerd Ludwig, Rena Effendi, Lauren Greenfield and Rob Hornstra

Also available are regular photo books and DVDs by all INSTITUTE Artists.

Gerd Ludwig's Tasmania feature published in Afar Magazine

Gerd Ludwig's work from Moscow on Stern.de

Gerd Ludwig's "Moscow Never Sleeps"

Gerd Ludwig's Siberia feature published in TU Style

 

Gerd Ludwig's "Moscow - Living In the Shadow of the Boom"

Gerd Ludwig on assignment with tennis legend Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf, the 22-time Grand Slam winning tennis player, has turned her focus from the net to the viewfinder. Under the title ‘The Children of Asmara’ her photographs represent the lives of children living in the capital of Eritrea. The German-language edition of National Geographic Magazine has published the pictures together with an article about her work in Eritrea. Graf runs a foundation for the mental health of children.

She said that as a teenager she had seriously considered becoming a photographer, rather than pursuing a career in tennis. Graf was accompanied on her trip to Asmara by seasoned photojournalist and INSTITUTE artist Gerd Ludwig, who instructed her in the art.

In an article published by National Geographic Deutschland, Gerd Ludwig describes what it was like to teach her photography and travel with her to Eritrea.

Gerd Ludwig, workshop and exhibit at FREELENS in Hamburg

REPORTAGE WORKSHOP IN HAMBURG

In association with FREELENS, Germany’s preeminent organization of photojournalists, INSTITUTE artist Gerd Ludwig will be teaching two sessions of his workshop, “Die Reportage” in January 2010 at FREELENS Media GmbH, Steinhöft 5 in Hamburg, Germany. Each of these intensive 6-day courses focuses on the logistical, technical, and ethical aspects of developing long-term stories - balancing objectivity with personal vision in photojournalism and documentary photography.  For more information click here (In German)


MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS EXHIBITION IN HAMBURG

For decades Moscow was regarded as a capital city devoid of vibrancy, self-expression and individualistic avenues. Not any more. Boasting more millionaires than any other city in the world, Moscow is now an international hotspot, making metropolises like New York City, Paris, and London glow pale by comparison. With its extravagant all-night discos, opulent restaurants, and chic designer boutiques, Moscow is fast becoming the jet set’s favorite place to see and be seen. In the shadow of the boom, Moscow’s nights are dominated by the disenfranchised: a growing number of homeless, struggling for diminishing aid; “gastarbeiters” from former Soviet Bloc countries looking for a slice of the pie; lonely elderly dying without anybody taking notice; and the helpless militia desperately trying to take charge in the turmoil.

Presented in an exhibition at the gallery of FREELENS, Germany’s preeminent organization of photojournalists and documentary photographers, this work started as an assignment for National Geographic Magazine and was completed with a grant from VG Bild Kunst/Kulturwerk.

The exhibit takes place January 22 through March 3, 2010 at the FREELENS Galerie, Steinhöft 5 in Hamburg, Germany.  Opening reception: Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7 p.m.  For more information about the exhibit click here.

To see all the images in the story Moscow Never Sleeps click here and here for In The Shadow Of The Boom.