There’s no small shortage of polaroid celebration these days. Similarly, there seems no small shortage of Polaroid based exhibitions of famous subjects and photographers.

London’s Colnaghi Gallery has on view, through November 12, 2010, a selection of photographs by Julian Schanbel.

Curated by Petra Giloy-Hirtz, the exhibition will present a selection of photographs, mostly previously unpublished, which offer an insight into the enigmatic character of the artist and a glimpse into his working environment. Works on view include images of Schnabel’s family and friends, such as Lou Reed, Placido Domingo and Mickey Rourke, alongside Polaroids of the artist’s private spaces within the Palazzo Chupi on New York’s Lower West Side and the interiors and surroundings of his studios in Brooklyn, Montauk and Manhattan. Schnabel took these extraordinary large-format Polaroids, both in brilliant colour and black-and-white, using a dolly-mounted 20 x 24 in. 1970s camera, and in some cases the artist has painted on the surfaces of the photographs. Together these Polaroids create a unique tableau, both intensely personal and poetic.

Colnaghi
15 Old Bond Street
London W1

Images from the exhibition, via mashKulture, after the jump.

Being that the circus is infinitely interesting, P.T. Barnum is legend, and sideshow  freaks are some of the greatest pieces of Americana, Matt Hoyle’s Barnumville is a true joy. Fat ladies and strong men. Tattoos and piercings. What else you need? (via CR).

Hoyle specialized in portraits of rich characters and intriguing faces. His site features all photographs from the project.

Meet the Serpent Lady and the Strong Man after the jump.

Blending contemporary subject with the traditional portrait compostion, Kehinde Wiley balances vernacular culture with his academic art training. He’s hip-hop with an ear to 18th century. A graduate of Yale’s MFA program, Wiley has been exhibited accross the world, and most prominantly in the National Portrait Gallery’s RECOGNIZE! exhibition. His first solo show, up now at Harlem’s Studio Museum (where Wiley has been artist in residence) presents 10 paintings from his "The World Stage Series." Painted while in Lagos and Dakar, the portraits present local men follow the pose of historic sculpture in the respective cities.

The exhibition runs until October 26, 2008.