Elijah Gowin has transgressed one of the most basic rules of photography in his latest series, “Into the Sun.” Shooting into the sun is a way of courting blindness, but it’s also a daring way to confront the source of the force and power of the center of our solar system. His exhibit “Into the Sun” is on display through October 22 at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York City.

Gowin, who received a John S. Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008, is currently associate professor in the department of art and art history at University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Critic Lyle Rexer has written, “Elijah Gowin is the prophet of this longing, the diviner of such dreams. His work confronts the impenetrability of the world and the challenge of representing it.”

“Into the Sun 23,” 2009.

“Into the Sun 26,” 2009.

The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, continue to inspire Julie Blackmon’s fictional narratives about the chaos of family life. Blackmon’s work will be on display with the Catherine Edelman Gallery at the AIPAD Photography Show New York, March 17-20, 2011, at the Park Avenue Armory.- AIPAD.

Robert Frank at the Robert Mann Gallery coincides with the 50th anniversary of the publication of his seminal book The Americans. The exhibition includes iconic images from The Americans, as well as earlier poetic photographs taken in Paris and London. Robert Frank will be on view until January 9 at Robert Mann Gallery, 210 Eleventh Avenue, New York City.