Fifteen Bucks A Lecture? Really!?

Photo: Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen

If you haven't seen Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen's B&W series at Lens, you're in for one helluva treat- terrific stuff! Really. And the color update ain't bad either. That said... Fifteen freakin' greenbacks for a slide show and a talk... Jeeez! C'mon now! Love ya Sirkka-Liisa, and I know it ain't your fault, but does ICP not see the not too subtle irony of charging an amount the likes of which the very people pictured in the photos (then or now) could ill afford?

Ans.- Why would they, Stan? Photography has a long tradition of making money off the poor and starving. Right. What a vast (vast) difference between their policy and say... that of The Anastasia Gallery, which actually hooks up a charity with the photographic theme of each exhibit. But Stan, they're two completely different kinds of institutions doing... lemme stop ya right there- yes, they are! Night and day.

By the way, I'll be seeing and listening to Todd Papageorge (3/07) and Martin Parr (3/12) here in San Francisco courtesy of Pier 24 for... zero, nada, goose egg. And I doubt ICP will be holding any free reviews anytime soon...