I recall reviewing a group exhibition at an embassy gallery last year and referring to it as a "hodgepodge" of styles and media. So incensed were the amateur curators that they fired off a complaint to the paper protesting the use of the word. When the husband of one of them caught up with me in public, the veins in his neck throbbed as he spat a stream of insults my way. Exasperated, I retorted that I had substituted "hodgepodge" as a euphemism for my initial choice of phrase, which was "dog's breakfast." Then the fellow appeared to want to slug me.
Thank goodness that Tim Porter and friends, a loose circle of Tokyo-based photographers, have more of a sense of humor. Their new group show, now at The Pink Cow in Harajuku, is a jumble of styles -- everything from nudes to communist statues to landscapes. And it is called, unapologetically, "A Dog's Breakfast."
Nonetheless, a press release from the organizers explains that the 30 works by 15 photographers are meant "to blow the minds of every unsuspecting soul who wanders into The Pink Cow with images that show the infinite possibilities of photographic art." So far, so good.