Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

Nenad Samuilo Amodaj
Form, San Francisco

2010

About the Item

Amodaj created the Hoop and Ball series of photographs in June 2010 with dancer and author Shawnrey Notto. The photographs were based on an earlier series of drawings Nenad made of Notto wearing parts of the deconstructed wedding dress during his figure drawing study in Michael Markowitz’s 23rd Street studio in San Francisco. The hoop skirt serves as an augmentation device, a skeletal extension meant to alter the visual perception of the human form. To realize the full associative power of the hoop, Amodaj created a counter-shape to the hoop, a white sphere (the Ball) made from plaster strips, to match the cloth texture and placed it in a dynamic relationship with his model. Notto improvised the poses from Nenad’s drawings in constant slow motion. The whole project was done in two 3-hour sessions with no rehearsals and no replays. The minimalistic setting, uniform lighting, and central vantage point shift perception from a trivial reality to a metaphysical one. The intent was to induce the spectator to spontaneously alternate between the three aspects: the human form, the symbolic function of the skirt, and the geometry of the cone and sphere. The spontaneity of dynamic poses and the imperfections of a handheld camera balance this sparse imagery. The exhibition presents a selection of 15 photographs from a project collection of over a hundred. Most of the series are gelatin-silver prints from a 35 mm film, with a few exceptions for large-scale digital color prints. Amodaj was influenced by the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher's typologies of industrial buildings and František Drtikol’s nudes. In the spirit of Becher’s “typologies,” Amodaj’s Hoop and Ball series of photographs explores endless mutations of the hoop skirt architecture, a clothing item with a curios geometric form that can be classified as a “flexible cone.” It is a form that appears both in nature and in artifice: flowers, bells, horns, nuclear power plants, roofs, hats, etc. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Amodaj’s passion for photography started at a young age when his late father, Samuilo, gifted him a Beirette camera. His father was a constant source of encouragement and support, inspiring Amodaj’s career as a self-taught photographer. Later in life, Amodaj earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and spent many years designing software for microscopes and visual exploration of micro-worlds. In 2005, he co-founded the Open Source “Micro-Manager” project at the University of California San Francisco, funded by the National Institutes of Health. From 2002-2010 he studied figure drawing in Michael Markowitz’s “23rd Street Studio,” and he credits his mentor Markowitz as an inspiration for this project. Amodaj has been living in San Francisco since 1998. Black and white, figurative, portrait, nude, woman, dancer, fashion, hoop, ball, skirt, improvisation, dynamic, symbolic, fluid, motion, series ,
  • Creator:
  • Creation Year:
    2010
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    16 x 20Price: $1,80020 x 24 Price: $2,100
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Hudson, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1111388502

More From This Seller

View All
Boy and Dog, Rome Italy
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David Saxe - “Photography has always been the simple act of looking and being inspired to strip the unnecessary elements from the scene and frame the image down in a way to discover what is not apparent on the surface. My photographs are as much about me as what I am seeing: In Southern California, 2010 is a perfect example of this process of seeing. When I first noticed this scene, it was a simple mural of a whale on a wall. After looking at it for a while I realized that by eliminating the sky and foreground from the image the whale now had an undulating rhythm and movement. In another image Restaurant Hostess, Palm Beach, FL 2012, I would go to this restaurant every week and sit in the bar behind the reception area. One day, I turned around and saw the back of a woman. Through this process of deductive framing, the image became one of dark shadows rhythmically trickling down her back interwoven with the tattoo of the lizard. David Saxe was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada in 1943 and studied fine art at l’ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal. He started taking pictures in 1970, after being influenced by the work of Robert Frank, and Henri Cartier Bresson. About 10 years ago, he decided to take a workshop with Constantine Manos...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

A Norman Rockwell Moment. Diner Albuquerque, NM
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David Saxe - “Photography has always been the simple act of looking and being inspired to strip the unnecessary elements from the scene and frame the image down in a way to discover what is not apparent on the surface. My photographs are as much about me as what I am seeing: In Southern California, 2010 is a perfect example of this process of seeing. When I first noticed this scene, it was a simple mural of a whale on a wall. After looking at it for a while I realized that by eliminating the sky and foreground from the image the whale now had an undulating rhythm and movement. In another image Restaurant Hostess, Palm Beach, FL 2012, I would go to this restaurant every week and sit in the bar behind the reception area. One day, I turned around and saw the back of a woman. Through this process of deductive framing, the image became one of dark shadows rhythmically trickling down her back interwoven with the tattoo of the lizard. David Saxe was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada in 1943 and studied fine art at l’ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal. He started taking pictures in 1970, after being influenced by the work of Robert Frank, and Henri Cartier Bresson. About 10 years ago, he decided to take a workshop with Constantine Manos...
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Funeral. Cuetzelan, Mexico
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David Saxe - “Photography has always been the simple act of looking and being inspired to strip the unnecessary elements from the scene and frame the image down in a way to discover what is not apparent on the surface. My photographs are as much about me as what I am seeing: In Southern California, 2010 is a perfect example of this process of seeing. When I first noticed this scene, it was a simple mural of a whale on a wall. After looking at it for a while I realized that by eliminating the sky and foreground from the image the whale now had an undulating rhythm and movement. In another image Restaurant Hostess, Palm Beach, FL 2012, I would go to this restaurant every week and sit in the bar behind the reception area. One day, I turned around and saw the back of a woman. Through this process of deductive framing, the image became one of dark shadows rhythmically trickling down her back interwoven with the tattoo of the lizard. David Saxe was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada in 1943 and studied fine art at l’ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal. He started taking pictures in 1970, after being influenced by the work of Robert Frank, and Henri Cartier Bresson. About 10 years ago, he decided to take a workshop with Constantine Manos...
Category

2010s Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Havana, Cuba. (Woman on Train)
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David Saxe - “Photography has always been the simple act of looking and being inspired to strip the unnecessary elements from the scene and frame the image down in a way to discover what is not apparent on the surface. My photographs are as much about me as what I am seeing: In Southern California, 2010 is a perfect example of this process of seeing. When I first noticed this scene, it was a simple mural of a whale on a wall. After looking at it for a while I realized that by eliminating the sky and foreground from the image the whale now had an undulating rhythm and movement. In another image Restaurant Hostess, Palm Beach, FL 2012, I would go to this restaurant every week and sit in the bar behind the reception area. One day, I turned around and saw the back of a woman. Through this process of deductive framing, the image became one of dark shadows rhythmically trickling down her back interwoven with the tattoo of the lizard. David Saxe was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada in 1943 and studied fine art at l’ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal. He started taking pictures in 1970, after being influenced by the work of Robert Frank, and Henri Cartier Bresson. About 10 years ago, he decided to take a workshop with Constantine Manos...
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Venice Beach, CA.
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David Saxe - “Photography has always been the simple act of looking and being inspired to strip the unnecessary elements from the scene and frame the image down in a way to discover what is not apparent on the surface. My photographs are as much about me as what I am seeing: In Southern California, 2010 is a perfect example of this process of seeing. When I first noticed this scene, it was a simple mural of a whale on a wall. After looking at it for a while I realized that by eliminating the sky and foreground from the image the whale now had an undulating rhythm and movement. In another image Restaurant Hostess, Palm Beach, FL 2012, I would go to this restaurant every week and sit in the bar behind the reception area. One day, I turned around and saw the back of a woman. Through this process of deductive framing, the image became one of dark shadows rhythmically trickling down her back interwoven with the tattoo of the lizard. David Saxe was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada in 1943 and studied fine art at l’ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal. He started taking pictures in 1970, after being influenced by the work of Robert Frank, and Henri Cartier Bresson. About 10 years ago, he decided to take a workshop with Constantine Manos...
Category

2010s Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Circus School Student , Havana, Cuba
By David Saxe
Located in Hudson, NY
David’s singular photographic vision merges with Rice’s evocative yet alluring multi-room space to envelop your senses, providing a moment to reconsider what a gallery can look and f...
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

You May Also Like

Untitled 2. From The Leather ands Skin Series
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Untitled 2, 2024 by Ricky Cohete From The Leather ands Skin Series Archival pigment print Image size: 36 in H x 24 in W. Edition of 10 Unframed The artist explores the intersection...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Jayne Mansfield Casino - Oversize Limited Print
Located in London, GB
Jayne Mansfield Casino 1955 by Frank Worth This action shot features bombshell star Jayne Mansfield playing roulette in Las Vegas circa 1955 Captured by celebrity photographer Fr...
Category

1950s Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Cerro. From the Cerros, series. Limited Edition B&W Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Cerro by Ricky Cohete From the "Cerros" series Small size: 30 in H x 20 in W. Edition of 13 Unframed Exploring color in the darkness, inspired by the Italian and Dutch renaissance...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Paris. Black and White Limited Edition Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Paris, 2023 by Ricky Cohete Archival pigment print Image size: 30 in H x 20 in W. Edition of 13 Unframed _________________________ Ricky Cohete was born in a coastal city in Ecuado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Rider. Black and White Limited Edition Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Rider, 2023 by Ricky Cohete Archival pigment print Image size: 30 in H x 20 in W. Edition of 13 Unframed _________________________ Ricky Cohete was born in a coastal city in Ecuado...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Leather Man. Black and White Limited Edition Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Leather Man, 2023 by Ricky Cohete Archival pigment print Image size: 30 in H x 20 in W. Edition of 13 Unframed _________________________ Ricky Cohete was...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Recently Viewed

View All