Do you have a high definition television? Thinking about getting one? Well, for me, there is one channel that made it worth the price of admission. Gallery HD (channel 9472 on Dish Network). UPDATE: Dish Network has pulled the plug on Gallery HD. I have contacted the producers of Gallery HD to find out if there will be any other way to see the network, but don’t have my hopes up. Dish claims they removed it to make room for new HD channels that would be more popular, but adding 5 news channels 5 sports channels, the Weather channel in HD (WTF?) and the World Fishing Network – I kid you not – really irks me.

There are two series on Gallery HD that have particularly inspired and entertained me. I bring these to your attention here. The first is Aperture. This show seriously kicks the assatopolis!

Somebody must have said, “Hey, what if we took a really talented, famous fine art photographer and did a 30 minute TV show about ‘em. We could do a bunch of those shows and put them all together.”

Then somebody else probably replied, “Sounds great. Pass me the salt.” I’m guessing they were having lunch at some swanky place that under seasoned its food. “Hang on!”

“What, you don’t need the salt?”

“No, still pass me the salt. I’m thinking we have celebrities that are fans of the photographer interview that photographer!”

“Hey. I like how you took my idea and then added to it. Do you like your sandwich? You aren’t eating.”

“You can pass me that salt anytime now.”

“Oh! We could shoot and broadcast the whole thing in high definition! What do you think?”

“Well, I’ll do it on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I’ll do it if you pass me the salt!”

Okay, so there are only six episodes (hopefully we’ll see a second season). But they are in heavy rotation. So set your high def DVR for a season pass and you’ll manage to catch them all. (Episode descriptions at the end of this article.)

The second show is actually even better than the first! It’s called Art In Progress. I like to say the “o” in progress like “oh” instead of like “ah”. Makes me feel fancy. Try it, you’ll like it. Back to the show. Like Aperture Art In Progress is in beautiful high definition. Unlike Aperture Art In Progress (are you saying pr“oh”gress yet?) isn’t an interview type show. It’s more like a documentary about the artist as they are working on a new series. They are right there in the room with them as they put the pain on the canvas, move a light stand, etc. You get to watch their process, the way they interact with the model (or lack of interaction). It is somehow demystifying and mystifying all at the same time.

I’ve seen episodes about photographers Gregory Crewdson, Andre Serrano, Nicholas Kahn + Richard Selesnick, and Vanessa Beecroft. They also feature painters like Thomas Woodruff and sculptors like one of my all time favorites Barton Benes.

If you haven’t heard of some or all of these folks, you are in for a world of inspiration if you seek them out.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find these on DVD or YouTube, so if you don’t have Dish Network in HD and don’t know any one that does, ether find some new friends or be sad. You are only missing out on inspiringly good fun times.

Aperture episode guide:

• Laurie Simmons is one of the first contemporary American photographers to have created elaborately staged narrative photographs. Using dolls to act out piquant scenarios within specially constructed environments, she has slyly commented on contemporary culture while re-creating “a sense of the 50s that I knew was both beautiful and lethal.” Evoking social issues with a humorous tint, it’s impossible not to wonder how Simmons came up with her unconventional view of our culture. An actress accustomed to dark themes in her work on The Sopranos, Drea de Matteo takes viewers into Simmons’ New York City studio to explore the creation, vision and execution of her work.
• The journey into the fascinating world and work of Vik Muniz begins at his studio in Brooklyn where ex-Talking Head visionary David Byrne interviews him about his photography, family and seemingly limitless passion for invention. Vik’s work is not just about the photography, but about creating power and surprise in images – whether they are made from chocolate, sand, dust or pigment like his recreation of the Mona Lisa. After the studio discussion, Vik and David go out for lunch and then take a short journey to a private exploration of Muniz’s exhibition at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City. This acclaimed show is a selection from a larger exhibition first organized by the Miami Art Museum, a body of work that features the “Weimar” series, a suite of black-and-white photographs that reference espionage, surveillance and intelligence gathering.
• Looking at Catherine Chalmers’ photographs, one can’t help but think of biology class. Actress and diehard fan Rosario Dawson interviews Catherine with a hands-on approach to the many exotic animals that live and work in the artist’s downtown New York loft/studio. The images are vivid and wonderfully composed, as you’d expect from fine art photography, but the subject matter – cockroaches, genetically-modified mice and houseflies – is most definitely unexpected. Chalmer’s lens finds beauty in the most basic life processes – birth, feeding, mating and death – and delivers a surprisingly beautiful science lesson.
• Conceptual visual artist Justin Guariglia explores the themes of universal energy, ritual, spirituality and Eastern philosophies through video and still photography. In this episode of Aperture, he is joined by iconic musician Lou Reed and record producer Tony Visconti at his print studio in New York City. After a performance by a Shaolin Monk on the artist’s rooftop, the trio heads to an exhibition to take in the full scope of Guariglia’s work. A student in China in the mid 90’s, Guariglia took an interest in Taoist and Buddhist philosophies, spending months visiting Buddhist mountains, holy sites, and temples throughout China – from the Silk Road grottoes to the Shaolin Temple. He would remain in Asia for nearly a decade, traveling extensively through nearly sixteen countries, while working on documentary projects throughout the region. Justin’s work was also used in a 2-year Nokia Global Campaign launched in 2006.
• Marla Rutherford’s photographs depict a surreal universe in which people from the worlds of sadomasochism and fetishism are posed in ordinary surroundings. Actor, producer and rapper Eddie Steeples (My Name is Earl) interviews Marla at her home and then heads to her Regeneration Exhibit in Pasadena, California. This juxtaposition brings the strange and banal together, and allows viewers to feel more at ease when faced with people whose practices are seen as deviant. In her brightly colored images, Rutherford uses a style close to advertising photography, in order to seduce the viewer. Her portraits of people from America‘s fetish counterculture are brought out into the light of day and treated as commonplace.
• In its final episode, Aperture heads to the New York City studio of photographer Donna Ferrato to explore how this edge-pushing artist manages to translate the impossible to face subject of domestic violence through the lens of a camera. Ferrato is paired for this exploration with actress Ally Sheedy, whose own career has taken her into the world of photography (the film High Art) and women’s issue. Through Sheedy’s questioning, viewers learn how Ferrato gains entry into such a sensitive and emotionally charged atmosphere to enable these women and men to speak volumes about a universal subject through a single image.

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