For Immediate Release

April 30, 2023

Albuquerque, NM - Local artist and photographer Nick Tauro Jr. is set to showcase his latest collection of images at Chatter, a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Albuquerque. The exhibition, titled "Cinema De Mes Reves," (Cinema of My Dreams) will open to the public on Friday May 5, 2023 and run through the end of June 2023.

Regarding the "Cinema De Mes Reves” work Tauro said: “This series is a tribute to my love of cinema, especially the work of the French New Wave, as exemplified by François Truffaut, Agnes Varda and Jean-Luc Godard. Using found film footage as a launching point for my artwork, I re-photograph, manipulate and collage everything from the opening film leaders to the end titles. It makes for a fertile visual playground that bridges the gap between still photography and moving images.”

The opening reception for "Cinema De Mes Reves” will take place at the Chatter Performance and Art Space on May 5th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the artist at this time. Following the reception, Chatter will present a concert as part of their monthly series Late Works, starting at 9pm.

Chatter, located at 912 3rd Street NW in Albuquerque, is a unique space that combines live chamber music, art, and poetry to create a dynamic cultural experience. The venue hosts performances every weekend of the year, as well as special First Friday concerts with the “Late Works” series.

"Cinema De Mes Reves” promises to be a captivating and thought-provoking exhibition that will inspire visitors to consider their own relationship with the arts of cinema and photography.

For more information on the exhibition and opening reception, please visit the website www.nicktaurojr.com. More information about Chatter and tickets to the Late Works show are available at www.chatterabq.org

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2019: 31 (Grateful)

August 4, 2019

There’s a quote by Kurt Vonnegut that I try to keep in mind… “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” It’s a reminder that we all need to stop and recognize the sweet things in life, right in the moment. There is much pain and sadness in life, and in the world right now, so I am even more aware of savoring the good things that come to me. Yesterday was one of those times for me. After two years of working on a collaborative project, the fruits of our labor were finally shared with the world. “The River, The Ocean, The Sea” exhibition is now on view at the Open Space Visitor’s Center in Albuquerque, NM, until September 29th. Below are some great photos of the opening by my photo pal, Dan Shaffer.

I am particularly grateful for the support of my friends through this entire project. Many people stepped up to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign, and that financial support helped offset the cost of printing and framing the exhibition. I was beyond thrilled to see so many of these same folks show up at the opening yesterday, along with many other people who spent time viewing the work. I am so, so grateful for such wonderful friends in my life. Thank you all.

Also, thank you to the great staff at the Open Space Gallery for giving me a venue to share the work. Thank you to KRQE for doing a nice story about the show on their broadcast yesterday.

Thank you to Clarke Conde and the Weekly Alibi for putting me on their front cover and running a wonderful interview. Thank you especially to my collaborators Fabio Miguel Roque and Hean Kuan Ong for sharing your vision with me. I am so proud of what we accomplished together.

“If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

2019: 28 (Take Me To The River)

July 13, 2019

Here we go, formal announcement time. I am super stoked to finally announce the big exhibition of my collaboration with fellow Latent Image Collective members Fábio Miguel Roque and Hean Kuan Ong. I hope all local New Mexico readers can join me at the opening reception on Saturday, August 3rd, from 2 to 4pm.
The exhibition is at the Open Space Visitor Center Gallery on the westside of Albuquerque. The show will feature 90 photographs, and we’re planning a unique display approach to bring the images to life. I hope you can join me at the opening! More info as the date gets close.

2019: 27 (Swim with the Current)

July 6, 2019

Now that the GoFundMe campaign is wrapped up, it’s time to get this show going! Ninety prints need to be framed… slow and steady and I will get them done. Really looking forward to the show and book release, which is a little less than a month away. Full details for the exhibition opening will be shared very soon.

A huge thanks to all of you fine folks who supported out fundraiser. Although we didn’t meet our ultimate goal, the funds were enough to cover printing and frame costs (also thanks to a few holiday sales at the Mpix and Michael’s!)

2019: 23 (Gaining Traction)

June 8, 2019

Our GoFundMe is underway for just a one week, and we’ve already received much support. If you are on the fence about contributing, I humbly ask if you consider helping out. Even a small donation is a step towards our goal. CLICK HERE to contribute.

2019: 22 (The Next Thing Is...)

June 1, 2019

Very pleased to FINALLY announce the next project I am bringing into the world. This one is particularly exciting, as it is a collaboration with two fellow members of the Latent Image Collective. Along with my photo compatriots Fábio Miguel Roque (who hails from Portugal) and Hean Kuan Ong (living in Malaysia) we are unveiling our book and exhibition project titled “The River, The Ocean, The Sea.” We have been working on this collaboration for almost two years, and it is now almost ready for “prime time.”

The idea behind the project is that each of us lives near a body of water that is a defining feature of the place we call home, and the place where we create our art. Each of has explored this theme in our own personal way. the results of this exploration will be released as a self-published book, and will also be the focus of an exhibition at the Albuquerque Open Space Gallery later this summer.

My part of the project features photos from the bosque surrounding the Rio Grande here in New Mexico, with most of my photos coming from within the city limits of Albuquerque. The project has forced me to approach my work in a new way, and it really opened me up to an environment and an aesthetic that was unfamiliar to me. I am proud of this new work, and extra proud to have connected my city with two other far-flung locations. We are united through photography, and through our reliance upon the precious element of water.

Our ambitious project now needs YOUR help to get over the final hurdle and out into the world. The cost of printing 100 books, as well as printing and framing over 90 photographs for the gallery exhibition is quite steep. To that end, Fábio, Hean Kuan and I have created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help offset the costs of this project. We are offering some really great, limited edition incentives for those who can support our effort. I would be humbled by any help you can provided.

To support our GoFundMe, please click here.

Water is life, as is art.

2019: 15 (Improvise)

April 13, 2019

Besides photography, my other current passion is improv. I love creating with a team of like-minded performers, reacting to each other in the moment. In improv, you work with a suggestion, and add something to that suggestion. The method is known as “yes, and…” and it is the core of positive creative development in improvising.

The relevance of this approach extends into other areas of my life, both professionally and personally. Case in point, I am currently part of a group of local photographers who have the opportunity to mount a group show of our work. We have a unifying theme to the show, and it has been an interesting process seeing how our work compliments each other. What has been even more amazing, though, has been the improvisational nature of hanging the show. We worked as a group this week to hang the show, and it was a great exercise in collaboration, of “yes, and”-ing each other as we curated the groupings of images.

The show is shaping up to be something really special. I’ll be sharing a more formal announcement about the details soon. It’s been a refreshing exercise in teamwork and support and for that I am particularly grateful.

2019: 13 (Au Revoir, Agnes Varda)

March 30, 2019

Earlier this week I watched a set of short documentaries by French director Agnes Varda. The films all revolved around the theme of photographic representation of reality, or of a straying from reality, more precisely. Viewing these films was oddly and sadly coincidental, because as it turned out, Varda died just a few days later. If you are unfamiliar with her work, I encourage that you seek it out. She was at the leading edge of the French New Wave of cinema, the infamous boys club of greats like Godard and Truffaut. Her work never lost a sense of wonder and humility.

On a lighter note, I’m excited to be talking part in a group project with a circle of Albuquerque-based photographers. Too soon to spill the details, but framing up some work is getting me excited for this new opportunity. More news to come.

Lastly, I’d like to give a plug to a local podcast I’ve been enjoying lately. It’s called “City on the Edge” and it’s a great exploration of this weird, dangerous, lovably perplexing city I call home. They recently did an episode on Ernie Pyle that I found quite fascinating.

flute unearthed after windstorm; mesa del sol, albuquerque, new mexico 2018

FluteBot Dossier: Excavation Photo Documentation

August 24, 2018

I recently completed a photo project inspired by the current Patrick Nagatani exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum. The approach for the project was quite different from how I usually shoot, as I conceptualized the series of images beforehand, then used props and specific locations to create each photograph. I presented images last night during a musical performance staged by Chatter at the Albuquerque Museum. A 16-page booklet was distributed to attendees of the concert by FluTeBot, a "time-traveling musician for the 24th Century." My photos and a video I edited were projected during the concert. Below are the notes and images from the publication. It was a nice way to challenge myself creatively, and to collaborate with an extraordinary musician. Brava, FluTeBot.

NOTES

The photographs in this dossier are submitted as evidence in a series of extraterrestrial musical incidents that occurred in New Mexico. This information was recently declassified by unnamed government officials.

According to numerous confidential sources, various items related to a space-traveling, woodwind-playing life form were discovered, scattered around numerous locations in central New Mexico. Each item was painstakingly recovered by researchers, and a complex picture began to emerge. Though various flute parts were initially discovered, subsequent search and excavation efforts yielded additional evidence of a musical alien presence in the region. Recovered items included what appeared to be protective garb, often emitting traces of radioactivity, as well as residue of interplanetary elements (including those not found on Earth).

Researchers were astounded to have also picked up numerous musical signals traveling towardsEarth, including distinct “flute sounding” passages captured via the “Very Small Array” satellite complex (located on Lomas Blvd. in Downtown Albuquerque). Further interpretations concluded that these were actual messages from an entity researchers have dubbed “FluTeBot.”

Translations of additional messages revealed that FluTeBot was, in actuality, a time-traveling musician from the 24th Century. She originally traveled through a time warp to New Mexico decades ago, drawn here by the bright lights emitted from the nuclear testing at Trinity Site. Seeking an atmosphere similar to her home planet of Syrinx, the alien was in dire need of an oxygen source that could be brought back to her home planet. While exploring Earth, FluTeBot was abruptly called home to Syrinx, due to an impending environmental disaster, a result of uncontrolled pollution. FluTeBot has recently returned to Earth to gather her hastily abandoned items. Chatter has negotiated with her for a one-time performance, as a thank you to the people of New Mexico for retrieving her scattered items and for their generous return.

Photo by Patrick Nagatani, part of his "Excavations" series on view at the Albuquerque Museum.

Thoughts on "Patrick Nagatani: Excavations"

July 6, 2018

If you are a photographer in New Mexico, chances are you are familiar with the work of Patrick Nagatani. When I first moved to Albuquerque back in 1993, he was among the first local photographers that I had heard about. His book "Nuclear Enchantment" was a confounding, enigmatic, yet spot on introduction to my new home. I can think of few other bodies of work that better exemplify the contradictory forces that shape life here in the New Mexico. A confluence of cultures, a place where the future is constantly at odds with its past, a place of incredible beauty, of devastating poverty, all sitting upon land that is at once sacred and forever atomically tainted.

Nagatani passed away last year, dying of cancer, a common malady of course, but even more so in this state where the first atomic bomb was tested. Coincidence? Who's to say. In the months that have followed his death, there has been a thorough reassessment of Nagatani's career, and currently there are no less than three different exhibits of his work, two in Albuquerque, and one up in Santa Fe. I recently visited the Albuquerque Museum to view an exhibit of the series "Excavations" and I must say, I was so impressed that it has made me re-think my own previous ideas about his work. This exhibit transcends strict parameters of a "photo" exhibit. If anything, it is a finely executed piece of conceptual art.

The body of work revolves around a purported discovery of buried cars at sites "in areas with significant archaeological or historical remains - Chaco Canyon, Herculaneum, Stonehenge - or with monuments to our own technological age - The Very Large Array, Kitt Peak National Observatory." Nagatani and his alter ego, an enigmatic Japanese archaeologist named "Ryoichi" teamed up to undertake the excavations, and to document it in full. Nagatani's photographs are paired with an array of diary entries, images of found objects from the sites, and cartographic documents that cover each location. A suspicious (or astute) viewer might very well deduce that the entire project is a well executed hoax (** spoiler ** it is.) That is beside the point, however. The breadth of the work is impressive, the attention to even the minutest of details is staggering. Upon reading that Nagatani began his career as a model builder in Hollywood, the exhibit takes on an even more impressive dimension. Realizing that he created the model tableaus in the photographs made me appreciate the craft even more.

Mummified Porsche, From the area of the Tomb of Horemheb, Saqqara, Egypt (by Patrick Nagatani)1986/1996

Local readers, this is a "must see" exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum. Perhaps your visit will be as memorable as mine. I was lucky enough to be in the gallery within an earshot of a group of visitors who honestly believed the entire body of work was not a piece of creative fiction. Ultimately the highest praise for a work of such fine deception. R.I.P. Patrick Nagatani.