Save the Dates: Photo Independent April 25 to 27, Raleigh Studios

Photography comes into focus next weekend with the inaugural debut of Photo Independent at Raleigh Studios April 25 to 27, 2014.

The first and only high-visibility platform for independent photographers, Photo Independent provides a unique opportunity for collectors and the general public to directly connect with some of the most exciting established, emerging and undiscovered photographic talent today.

Along with over 70 photographers from around the world displaying their work, Photo Independent will also showcase special exhibitions from the American Aperture Awards (AX3) Photography Competition; Curatorial Assistance, Art & Exhibition Services; Off The Wall Magazine; and Coagula Curatorial (full disclosure: CartwheelArt editor Lisa Derrick is co-curating the Coagula booth with frequent contributor Eric Minh Swenson in an exhibition entitled EMSex designed to dovetail with Coagula’s 100 Reasons show opening April 26 in Chinatown). Medicines Global presents a rare opportunity to view Robert Heinecken’s 1968 “Venus Mirrored”, and there is a special exhibition by the Los Angeles Art Association.

LAAA is also the beneficiary of of the opening night gala, which honors musician/photographer Andy Summers. Titled “Mysterious Barricades,” Summers’ exhibition will feature a unique series of black and white photographs. Best known as the guitarist for the Police, Summers cultivated his photographic practice on the road. Nights after concerts, he headed out into the hearts of Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, London, and Rome, exploring the world with his camera in hand, capturing the unusual, the odd, the exotic, and the remarkable moment, and transforming his perception of these moments into his own artistic vision. Remarks Summers:

My life is full of impulse and movement. My guitar and camera are fixed instruments, the only constants in a world of change.

Tickets for the opening night gala are $100. General admission in advance for one day $15, and for the whole weekend $25. General admission tickets are $5 more at the door.

Photo Independent is located in Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles 90038

Top photo: Andy Summers; bottom, Antoine Rose