We recently discovered the beautiful photographic work of Tokyo-based Ko-Ta Shouji, that within its analogue 'snapshot' genre shows an inspirational marriage of the explorations of technical experiment with a captivating, emotional contemporary feel. Practically all of his images are taken on film, mostly characterized by that mentioned snapshot aesthetic: working with unorthodox, free floating frames, often full of joyful young energy, having a colorful metropolitan feel. Beyond catching his subject in, what feels to us as, the right moments, Shouji subsequently masterfully adds second and third layers to his imagery through light leaks, double exposures and blurred spots, infusing an ambiguous element of mystery that runs as a red threat through his whole portfolio — whether he shoots models in an editorial for a leading fashion magazine, his beautiful portrait series named 'gosees'; catching young models as free as they are right after what the title suggests, but also in his 'Untitled' series, being his most abstract body of work, portraying the world around us as a beautifully blurred place that haunts its spectator, built up layer after layer out of washed out colors and floating movement.
Having had a history as a stylist before turning to photography, Shouji clearly knows his way around catching and portraying a zeitgeist, without a doubt having been inspired by the photographic aesthetic that came to life in the communication of European fashion houses around the turn of the century, for instance through the creative endeavors of Martin Margiela joining forces with Mark Borthwick and Helmut Lang opening up new chapters in the work of Jurgen Teller. [ Continue reading ]
In a collaboration between Jordi Carles at ...,staat, Pol Pérez' and Josep Román's Barcelona-based design studio Affaire and Baumeister Jung: the beautiful book 'Material Turn' came to life. In it, the photographer Paul Jung and fashion designer Melitta Baumeister —who work on shared multidisciplinary creative projects as Baumeister Jung— hybridize their creative visions to become one, solidifying a moment in time — as beautiful volume-garments are casted out of an otherwise fixed material ànd by capturing the act of wearing it. Through exploration of these areas, the book portrays the relationships that exist between the two bodies, and the way touch and sight may alter the reader’s perception of an object’s qualities.
For 'Material Turn' a number of garments were specifically designed by Baumeister, who generally works with industrial techniques and materials, this time made solely out of three materials: deep black velvet bonded to foam; padded black vinyl; and finally padded white tyvek. In the words of Pérez; the use of these materials helps instill certain preconceptions in the reader’s mind: "black, especially light-absorbing materials, look naturally heavier. At first, the acting that is asked of the model helps reinforce these assumptions: in the first pages, we see her more relaxed and upright when wearing tyvek, whereas velvet dresses are shown as she sits, slouched on a chair, seemingly defeated by its weight."
This behavior slowly fades as the book progresses, dispelling the initial preconceptions — resulting in a captivating proces to be observed throughout the pages of the elegantly designed book, bringing together the talents of Baumeister, Jung, Carles and Pérez & Román into this highly appealing new publication. [ Continue reading ]
Justin Clifford Rhody
It's been a while (a year maybe) since we first encountered the ongoing photographic essay named 'The Western Lands' by American photographer Justin Clifford Rhody, but it never really left us since that moment. The Michigan-born, Oakland-based artist, who predominantly shoots on film, started the series in 2012 and one of the reasons for moving to the West Coast was to continue exploring the Southwest of America from his new home, being within a day’s drive of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and parts of New Mexico. Through a friend, the photographer was even offered to built a cabin in Northern New Mexico, which he has been using as the pivot point to keep expanding his photographic study, while immersing himself both physically and mentally in the desert. In his own words; it was the staggering quality of light and the physical expansiveness of the American West —"brutally unforgiving and indifferent to one’s needs, yet this seems to only inflame our desire to go further and deeper within the interior"— that inspired him to start and grasp intrinsic elements of it in his captions. And that intrinsic passion seems to burn in him today as it did in 2012.
It is extraordinary how Rhody finds frames that are nothing short of iconic —reminding of his idol William Eggleston, although being more fixed— in an utmost beautiful sun-kissed color palette, succeeding marvelously in communicating (his?) deep romantic feelings for this unique area combined with the melancholia that belongs to finding oneself at a dead end. Beauty and sadness in one. The photographer is clearly at awe, but can't help himself, to see that this magical place named the American West has entered a chapter with the times of glory laying behind us.
We can only hope for more observations by Justin Clifford Rhody of the American West, as through his lens it is a place that continues to deeply move us like no other... [ Continue reading ]
When in New York City tonight, make sure to drop by Printed Matter at 18:00 as the very talented Paris-born and New York-based photographer Clément Pascal will present his self-published book 'Strange Things Happen for a Reason' (made in collaboration with artist Edouard Nardon) to the world. Pascal is known for his exquisite intuition to catch the most interesting intimate moments between a photographer and his subject, resulting in a documentary-style photography, which he has been producing in a diverse field of assignments and series, ranging from portraits, fashion-photography and free work — of which the new book is a beautiful example. With a clear signature running through all of his work, the images the photographer creates in natural light are always delicate and intimate, whether it's a (gangster) rapper or, for instance, an artist on the other side of the lens: he seems to always succeed in creating the perfect playing field for his vision to blossom with all of them. Key in this, as stated by himself; is the fact that preparation and staging the imagery could lead to the absence or loss of ‘the opportune moment’ that defines his work. Anticipation leads his intuitive eye and lends suspense or a lack thereof for his images to arrive in the moment.
'Strange Things Happen for a Reason' defines that constant experimentation with photography. Much of the images included in this book point a finger to the context of the happenstance, a common arc in his work. The book serves as a modern-day instruction to forever entertain the appreciation of the unknown. The first quote in the book says it all:
Lose yourself once in a lifetime for God’s sake. Stop seeing your friends, you need a break. You need something new. Take a risk for God’s sake. [ Continue reading ]
Australian artist Bill Henson is the kind of maker that doesn't need any introduction and has been among our favorite photographers for more than a decade. He is one of those artists whose talent you almost take for granted as he's been around (and is regularly, often-times badly, mimicked) for so many years. Where instead you should always try to push yourself to take a minute and search for the feeling you once felt in the first, almost scary, encounters with his dark and brooding imagery — which he continuously has been producing over years, still living his mantra that he's only as good as his last picture.
Finding this insightful interview by ASX from 2015 by chance, caused one of those above mentioned moments, in which it occurred to us once more how unique and captivating Henson's artistic vision is. Without losing any of its relevance over the course of two decades, his masterful imagery, reminding of the work of a Flemish Renaissance painters, balances a deep shrouded darkness with piercingly enlightened, almost translucent corpse-like figures and objects. His photographs seem to stem from an interzone between day and night, nature and human civilization. His vision of the world around us is mysterious and cryptic and feels more relevant then ever in these confusing and ambiguous times we live in.
In the interview from last year, Henson talks about the theoretical and philosophical motivations behind his imagery, explains the creative workflow that's forced upon you when shooting analogue and confesses to have never shot a digital photograph with a camera(!) But more than anything it should stimulate to take a moment and another long and hard look at the mesmerizing work of one of the most interesting imagemakers of our time. [ Continue reading ]
Last year we discovered the work of Athens-based photographer Alexis Vasilikos, who next to uniquely capturing the world around him co-edits the incredible Phases Magazine, which is one of the most interesting destinations on the internet to discover new cutting edge and thought-provoking photographic projects stemming from all over the world. His work for Phases also clearly has set a rather ambitious bar for the work Vasilikos produces himself, as he has been creating series after series in a relentless pace only in the year or so that we had him on our radar (with his archive proof that he has been doing this for way longer than only the last 12 months). His latest series is another raw diamond, which we feel is some of the most interesting compositions of subversive reflections on society captured through a camera, we have encountered in quite a while.
Named 'Dystopian Sequence', in his latest output Vasilikos presents a series of images about love in the times of choleric capitalism. The initial inspiration came from the economic crisis in his country of birth Greece and the politics that are implemented by the IMF and the Eurogroup in the deficit countries of the South. It resulted in a highly diverse raw series, both in color and black and white, touching both beauty and a sense of discomfort, forming a narrative of melancholia and dispair, without ever sinking too deep into the darkness as there always will be hope — in our eyes remarkably represented by the two showering females, totally at ease in their vulnerability and with each other, piercingly caught by Vasilikos. [ Continue reading ]
Henrik Strömberg presented by Grundemark Nilsson Gallery
Next to the beautiful 'Invisible Machinery' series by Japanese photographer Toru Ukai, we had one undisputed favorite series of work on display during last weekend's Unseen Photo Fair: the incredible 'Statues' by Swedish born and Berlin-based Henrik Strömberg. In all the images of the photographic artist one encounters the world, remote, removed, almost as if disappeared. Places become difficult to locate, plunged into darkness, half empty rooms, left-behinds; and in the case of the series as seen in Amsterdam deformed statues. In his series 'Statues', which was one of the two series on display in Amsterdam, he took his vision to the iconic shapes of ancient sculptures, deforming them to a new austere composition, from which results this certain inward-looking nature, a deep and universal self-reflection. His view penetrates the invisible, seizes it and gives it a shape. A connection is created between the inside and the outside, the true essence of things and the mere sense of things — resulting in a new shape and aesthetic that both attracts and repels, but never fails to captivate. [ Continue reading ]
IBASHO Gallery presents the work of Toru Ukai at Unseen Photo Fair 2016
Tomorrow the 2016 edition of the Unseen Photo Fair will open its doors for the public at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam and it promises to be another celebration of photography, with work from all over the globe having found its way to the Dutch capital again. Although we weren't blown away by what saw in the former two editions, there will be always (we hope) those hidden gems to be discovered amidst the more repetitive imagery on display. Returning Antwerp-based gallery IBASHO is one of the participants we really appreciate.
Last year the gallery was a newcomer on Unseen (after they had just started their operation on the edge of the Antwerp-South area) and this year it brings a debuting photographer to Amsterdam, which we feel is one of those few great new talents to be discovered. With its focus on contemporary Japanese photography, during their first presence at Unseen Photo Fair IBASHO presented, amongst others, the iconic 'Tokyo Parrots' by the great Yoshinori Muzutani in Amsterdam, this time around it introduces the incredible series 'Invisible Machinery' by the very talented Toru Ukai. The Tokyo-based photographer is interested in the hidden and invisible structure in our modern society, which he has given the moniker invisible machinery, portrayed in his ongoing series to be seen at Unseen. Ukai observes the structure in the social systems, the law and the architecture, but also in the behavior of people; gestures and figures — captured in sharp and cold tones, with a distinct digital feel, proving to be a perfect fit for the science fiction-like arena which is urban Japan. Having such an interesting signature, perfectly fitting the narrative of his unique perspective on the world around him, makes us eagerly look forward where Ukai will take his beautiful photography in the years to come..
When visiting Unseen Photo Fair in the coming days, make sure to not skip IBASHO's booth and enjoy the work by the incredible new talent! [ Continue reading ]
After (seemingly) slowly fading away over the course of this month, Summer has found its way back to The Netherlands again in the last few days. With the temperature back at around 30°C, it feels like the perfect time to share another very inspirational (sun blazing!) ongoing photographic series named 'On The Periphery' by Sinziana Velicescu, which we originally discovered a while ago, but came back to our attention when a new selection was on display at AIA|LA gallery in July. The very talented Los Angeles-based photographer has made a name for herself in the last five years, soon after graduating from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor in Comparative Literature and Film, with her steady high quality output being picked up worldwide ever since — both in exhibitions and publications. Throughout her entire catalogue there is a clear signature to be observed; working predominantly in natural (sun)light, always finding those colorful abstract crops in the seemingly ordinary to create a captivating image, all captured directly in the world around her (oftenly Los Angeles, as the case with 'On The Periphery').
In a time in which 'Instagram-friendly' photography (which Velicescu's work clearly is: make sure to follow here) sometimes gets confused with 'made for Instagram', the genre one could categorize her work in might be de facto an ever-growing field with too much (just our humble opinion) mediocre imagery with no real substance beyond the depiction — Velicescu proves with every series that she truly is part of the highly talented periphery of photographers, never failing to succeed in finding those fragmentations of the ordinary that both please the eye and evoke the question what narrative lays underneath that single frame.
We can't wait for more observations from Velicescu's own private Los Angeles... [ Continue reading ]
In April of this year cultural anthropologist and graphic design historian Jim Heimann, together with his regular collaborator; editor and archivist Ryan Mungia, presented one of our favorite printed projects which were released in 2016. The incredible 'Shore Leave' is the first photobook to capture Honolulu during the Second World War through a remarkably curated collection of vintage photographs, a lot of them found in personal scrapbooks of veterans, which were collected by Heimann over years and now made public through Mungia's Boyo Press.
It portrays the thousands of US sailors bound for the Pacific during the early 1940's, in a period when the Hawaiian Islands were the staging ground for an unknown fate. Their perception of Honolulu as a tropical paradise quickly deflated upon their arrival. The anticipation of a moonlit Diamond Head, available hula girls and free-flowing and affordable rum quickly materialized into crowded streets, beaches cordoned off with barbed wire and endless lines to nowhere. Still, as with many ports of call, diversions were plentiful, and set against the warm trade winds, sailors took advantage of them on their last stop to hell. A totally unique place and time, which shows throughout the images selected by Mungia and Heimann.
Binding all these insightful photographs together in the book creates a truly unique insight, elegantly designed moreover, 'Shore Leave' is one of the most captivating books we have discovered this year.
It is a one-of-a-kind visual document of a port that, for many sailors who passed through, was their initiation into manhood. [ Continue reading ]
The NikeLab x Kim Jones debut collection captured in Rome by The Travel Almanac
A little over a month ago NikeLab presented the debut collection of their collaboration with a new high profile name from the fashion world (are we going to see a focus on this, as competitor Adidas has been doing for the last decade?): British sportswear connoisseur Kim Jones. The colorful collection means the highly anticipated return to athletic sportswear for Jones, after he successfully collaborated with Umbro (owned by Nike) for several seasons some years ago, before he became menswear director at Louis Vuitton in 2011, where he has been marrying athletic influences with luxury. In order to celebrate the union between technology and tradition, our inspirational friends of The Travel Almanac decided to set up an exclusive fashion editorial collaboration with NikeLab and Jones in Rome’s E.U.R. [Esposizione Universale Roma] district which they gave the name 'Saluti da E.U.R.'
Esposizione Universale Roma is a neighborhood in the Italian capital that was planned to host the world’s fair and to exhibit Italy’s latest answers to modern urbanism, architecture, design, and sports. Finally completed for the Summer Olympics 1960 held in the city, the area is famous for its orthogonal city plan inspired by Roman Imperial urban planning and for its monumental white architecture characteristic of Italian Rationalism. The buildings’ traditional materials and revolutionary minimal lines were a simplification and modernization of neo-classical architecture and have influenced the most talented architects, from David Chipperfield to Peter Zumthor passing through Oscar Niemeyer. Today E.U.R. has become Rome’s center for sports, finance, and with its newly opened Museum of Fashion in the iconic Palazzo della Civilta’ Italiana, also known as the Squared Colosseum, also for fashion.
A context proving to be a remarkable fit for the collection's colorful pieces, both caught by The Travel Almanac's founder Paul Kominek and Danish photographer Sara Katrine Thiesen, presenting a perfect hybrid of the classicist Italian exterior and some of the most cutting edge athletic pieces available today created by Jones and NikeLab, forming one of our favorite editorials we have seen in the last few months. [ Continue reading ]
With most of the blogs we have been following over the course of the last ten years stuck on their last post without much reason left to believe more is still to come and some of them even completely dead and buried for ever (or evolved into much bigger content producers/magazines of course), luckily there are still a few people out there sharing what they admire through an individually curated filter. One of those places we have been visiting regularly for over five years that remains to be (relatively) active is Dave Smith's This Is Collate, where he has been sharing his personal favorites for years: creations ranging from graphic design, art, fashion, music and photography projects.
Last week, Smith shared a true gem in the last category — shot by his friend Christopher Martin (opposite page), when they both visited Japan in March, which we feel deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. Named 'Undercover Japan' (the series by Martin has little to do with Jun Takahashi's namesake fashion label although we feel the isolated aesthetic would speak to the punk avant-garde designer) the observations through the lens of the Belfast-based photographer form an extraordinary photographic series, portraying the many car- and motorcycle-covers to be observed all over Tokyo and Kyoto. Intriguingly serene, yet also evoking a feeling of covered up secrets, for us the series represents certain important elements that make up Japan, next to being just incredibly aesthetic captions of the country that has no equal. [ Continue reading ]
Done to Death publishes a day at the track captured by Eric Chakeen
Another year, another inspirational Done to Death Projects publication by cultural tastemaker Chris Black, who for the first time collaborated with none less than the very talented Eric Chakeen. After assisting the three legendary New York photographers Terry Richardson, Dan Martensen and Ryan McGinley, Eric Chakeen was ready to produce his own work, which he has been doing in the last decade with great vigour — working on a long list of commissions with big names in fashion and pop culture, but also creating free projects of which the new publication is an excellent example. For the series named 'And Away They Go', Chakeen roamed around the racetrack of his hometown in the suburbs of San Diego; Del Mar. It resulted in a beautiful collection of striking photographs, documenting a subtly disquieting space, with everyone in this world apparently lost in a paradise of nostalgia. Both having a cinematic quality as much as the images being raw in your face observations, the series continues to captivate us profoundly, forming another incredible addition to Chris' Done to Death Projects catalogue. [ Continue reading ]
Ward Roberts immaculately documenting sporting courts around the world
Following the release of his remarkable 'Courts 01' in 2012, today New York-based photographer Ward Roberts presents his second printed chapter, named conveniently 'Courts 02', of the ongoing photographic study documenting sporting courts at the Arcana in Culver City, California, after it already has been open for purchase online for the last couple of days. Initially aiming to document Hong Kong's car parks when he started with the series back in 2007, Roberts found a deeper connection with the city's basketball courts and switched his focus to these colorful spaces instead. He noticed that many of the most multicolored courts were located beside low-income apartment buildings, and used these as landmarks to track down the hidden spaces. After publishing 'Courts 01', Roberts continued his search while on travels to Bermuda, Hawaii, New York and Melbourne. In these locations, he also found the sports grounds that never cease to fascinate him, enhancing his captivating collection of images with interesting new chapters. The result in 'Courts 02' is yet another series of immaculately captured public spaces, in Roberts' signature toned down color palette, finding highly aesthetically fragmentations of these ordinary areas of play, which we can't take our eyes from.
As all iconic images inevitably do, Ward Roberts’s courts have now become a force of their own, circulating the world with terrific velocity via the rushing slipstream of the internet, gathering momentum and making their mark upon the global eye. [...] His art is so powerful: he gives life to the spaces of photography, and photography to the spaces of life. [ Continue reading ]
Frederik Vercruysse, Clarisse Demory and Mark Colle for The Plant Journal 09
Last month marked the release of already the ninth issue of the inspirational The Plant Journal. Full of flowers this time around, it honors one in particular — not the most trendy flower, but definitely a classic of some sort; the geranium. Seamlessly fitting the changing weather of the last weeks (at least in The Netherlands and Belgium), the magazine celebrates the summer, which for instance also perfectly matches life like artist Roberto Burle Marx, one of the protagonists of the issue. Legendary German illustrator and artist Tomi Ungerer shares his beloved piece of land in Ireland while Elein Fleiss shows her knowledge on herbs and Antoni Arola details his passion for seeds. Kuba Ryniewicz focusses on Conrwall’s mighty marine flora, Mark Borthwick the lush of Jamaica. Formafantasma and Ethel Baraona meditate about the meaning of borders and Mercedes Villalba explores desire paths. Furthermore, one learns about the linen process, how to preserve dandelions into paperweights and the tastiest ice-cream recipes by Kitty Travers.
In all, the new inspirational issue is packed with some of the most beautiful flowers one finds on this earth, captured by talented people like Brian Kanagaki, the always great Scheltens & Abbesses and one of our favorite photographers around; Yoshinori Mizutani, who captured the park life in London like only he can, as is also portrayed on maybe the most beautiful cover created for the magazine. Yet, there is one series, even above Mizutani's, which is our clear favorite, coming from two Belgian inspirators in their particular field: the collaboration between photographer Frederik Vercruysse, who teamed up with stylist Clarisse Demory and no less than flower grandmaster Mark Colle, for a series of bouquets in which they honor six deceased pop cultural icons (Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson. Minnie Riperton, Nina Simone and David Bowie) in bespoke arrangements and settings created for these individuals. [ Continue reading ]
More than two years ago we wrote about a new Jungles in Paris story which took the reader on an insightful trip to the West African country of Senegal. As in most Sub-Saharan African countries football is the clear favorite sport there, but an indigenous sport that has existed for centuries is traditional wrestling named Laamb in Wolof. It is one of the sports in which the young men engage on the famous 'Plage de Fann' beach in Dakar, which was singled out in the beautiful story. Since ancient times Senegalese wrestlers competed before the king and queen in village squares. Singers, dancers, and storytellers embellished the match. Wrestlers wore amulets to ward off evil spirits and black magic from their opponents. Nowadays, the tradition remains strong. As in former times, griots praise the victors in song and dance.
The contemporary champions of the traditional wrestling sports are celebrities in Senegal, with fighters such as Yékini (Yakhya Diop), Tyson (Mohamed Ndao), and Bombardier (Serigne Ousmane Dia) the best known. Today we want to take another look at the beautiful sport, this time through the lens of French photographer Laurent Laporte who shot a series on one of his many travels named after the famous wrestler: 'Bombardier'. Young Senegalese boys, who meet each other on beaches like Plage de Fann, dreaming to become as big as 'the bomber' — caught remarkably by Laporte who made the series half duotone and half color. Finding remarkable frames which represent both the sport and the country in a unique and exciting way. [ Continue reading ]
Although in recent years they have become a household name in fashion photography through their ongoing work relationship with it-brand Mansur Gavriel (and strong visability throughout downtown New York City) and work for numerous fashion magazines, we haven't shared the work of Ukrainian twin sisters Tanya and Zhenya Posternak here before. Known for the so called 'Posternak crop' —staying as close to the essence of their subject which often-times results in a rather unusual yet elegant focus— their style can be described best as minimalist, colorful, never failing to be striking and full of charisma, regardless if an actual human being or just an object is in front of the camera. Flicking through the catalogue they have shared over the course of the last few years: ranging from assignments, the captures from their travels on their blog and all the images they have shared on their instagrams — one can only conclude that the Posternaks make it look so effortless to capture the available essence of what characterizes someone or -thing in front of their lens. We know that isn't true and it's simply their unique perspective on the world around us. Almost like an elegant form of camouflage (reminding strongly of Robby Müller's camerawork) the twins create imagery which is unique without losing a sense of universally appealing emotions to be observed in all of their work, both on commissions and free work. We can't get enough of it...
We are deeply moved by human imperfections, whether it be a birthmark or facial hair. With our photography we aim to get closer both to the subject and the viewer. Frankly, we don’t follow any brand’s guidelines other than curiosity for all things beautiful and woolly. [ Continue reading ]
Launched on the 30th of June, but presented to the public today at the Rapha Cycle Club in London, writer Max Leonard and photographer Camille McMillan present an incredible new publication by the name of 'Bunker Research'. Leonard, who is an avid cyclist, found inspiration for the new project while riding around the Alpes-Maritimes region of France, where he noticed the strange structures hidden in the landscape — discrete buildings that seemed to appear out of nowhere in remote locations far away from civilization. The question what and why these military bunkers were doing there, drove the writer —who joined forces with Camille McMillan to document them properly— to find and research these hidden concrete shelters for eight months, which eventually resulted in this elegant printed study.
Strategically placed throughout the French Alps by the French, these bunkers were built in some of the most remote places in Europe. Constructed from reinforced concrete, the constructions blend into their rugged, pristine environment. Although they are slowly succumbing to the elements as they aren't used anymore, the bunkers are enduring features in the landscape and relics from a different time in world politics. The structures with fortifications’ concrete walls were built to withstand bomb blasts, so it will take many more decades for them to totally have disappeared. Until that moment they just lay there, constructed from a form follows function ideology, resulting in a brutalist organic aesthetic, being a unique subgenre in architecture, of which a super interesting chapter is now beautifully captured and presented by Leonard and McMillan. [ Continue reading ]
Recently we encountered the new series by Vienna-based photographer and director of photography Wolfgang Lehrner named 'Metro / Polis', for which the artists— following his series shot in Moscow named 'WELT / RAUM'— travelled to city of Athens. The remarkable new series is divided into six different chapters for each element of the city as observed through the camera, for which Lehrner created a dedicated online environment to portray his unique complete vision of the city that holds the cradle of democracy, science and occidental philosophy, and for a couple of years now once again has become a focal point – albeit for European crisis and criticism. As portrayed in the immaculate, often-times isolated frames, Athens appears as a city in decay in which concrete has grown uncontrollably, which now waits to slowly rot away. People play the supporting role in this theatre of concrete, as if Lehrner wants to say that those who once decided to form the face of this city, now a days don't differentiate between buildings and those living it it. Not more then playthings in the grande scheme of bigger political decisions, which therewith remarkably summarizes in what wicked narrative the people of Athens, those who walk the actual concrete streets to go to there work, home or elsewhere, find themselves in because of the policies made by others above them, right where Lehrner's camera is positioned. Looking down on the concrete and the people, showing a side of Athens which is both beautiful and sad, reminding of a classical Greek melodrama.
City is a concurrence of the other and the own, difference and sameness, unity and diversity. These components lay the foundations for thought, discussion and resistance. The city is a moving home, a safe haven in foreign parts. [ Continue reading ]
Through the lens of Ilyes Griyeb
Sometimes a photographic series perfectly touches on the field that's in between (and overlays) the staged and documentary, creating a complete compelling narrative which transcends the imagery. More than just being individual photographs with the quality of a verb, the combination of the imagery brings a story to life, taking the mind of the spectator into the head of the photographer at the moments when he captured what he saw. Without forcing any reading of meaning onto the spectator. Generally speaking we tend to prefer abstract (landscape) photography within this particular genre. Photographers finding beauty in the ordinary or not so ordinary, which apparently for us seems to be more often non-human (whatever that really means). After 'Tranquility', which we shared earlier, another series with a prominent place for people has become an instant favorite of ours. 'Moroccan Youth' masterfully combines both portrait and landscape photography and keeps fascinating us deeply since the moment we first laid eyes on it.
Paris-based photographer Ilyes Griyeb released the series of his remarkable observations in a nondescript Moroccan town last year, but we discovered it only recently. In all of the photographs there's that sense of hope combined with sadness — a gaze away from the lens, or on the contrary straight into it. A pair of stripped carseats in the sun, a roof filled with numerous satellite dishes bringing in television programmes from all over the world. Even the people who are actually smiling, raise the question in our heads if these young people actually want to be where they are? Are they dreaming of wearing their Louis Vuitton in the place where it originated, riding their dirt bike in a place where it's less dusty, visiting the city where Ilyes himself came from to capture them. Or is that really just our neocolonial conditioning and are they actually happy being the cool kids where they are? Every time the images tell the story different, without it becoming boring. It has captivated us from the moment we laid eyes on these images and will continue to do so. [ Continue reading ]
Last month, a unique new basketball magazine saw light in Los Angeles, taking a bold position in the extensive existing world of the popular sport full of metrics and predominantly presented through a slick aesthetic. Named FRANCHISE, the beautifully designed magazine approaches the sport strictly from an artistic point of view, having created a raw and diverse visual language far from the usual for their debut issue. The magazine was created by editor-in-chief Justin Montag and creative director Chris Dea, two co-workers up in the Bay Area who both love the sport dearly. During a trip to London, Montag saw how many elegant magazines are being printed in England about football (with the Green Soccer Journal as the prime example, no doubt), which inspired the two Americans to create something similar about the game they love, adding third founder Brock Batten for business development. For the debut issue this resulted in portfolios of UNA Studio’s sharp illustrations, Theophilus Mensah’s beautiful photography of pickup players in Ghana, and NBA Injury R3port’s bizar comics rendered massive. It also features a conversation between Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and the team’s longtime supporter Diplo, as well as a short interview with artist Lauren Fisher, who has created 3D court projections for NBA. The result is by far the most interesting publication on the sport we have ever seen. We don't have much affinity with the sport of basketball, but FRANCHISE might very well inspire some change in that area through its inspirational approach and perspective which we really appreciate. [ Continue reading ]
Jack Davison at Foam Amsterdam
Two weeks ago Amsterdam-based museum Foam presented the first international exhibition of probably one of the most exciting talents on the rise in photography: Jack Davison. We first discovered his work last year when he joined renown agency mini title and through his inspirational collaboration with another great talent from England, artist Joe Cruz, which to our excitement was given a follow up some weeks ago. It is very thrilling to see this first step in a growing international recognition of Davison's great talent, who without a doubt is destined to become a leading name in photography in the years to come. Davison's work shows a diverse range of inspirations that he derived from the historical canon of photography—from Salvador Dali and August Sander, the Flickr community and the Internet in general, to Mark Michaelson’s infamous book, 'Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots', next to iconic imagemakers like Richard Avedon, Ernst Hass, Saul Leiter, Irving Penn, and Edward Weston.
As Foam has previously shown the work of many of the icons that inspired him, for the exhibition Davison is moving back and forth between photography’s past and present is an intriguing addition to the context of the photography museum. What you see in the exhibition is that Davison effortlessly employs and appropriates different genres and styles in what seems to be an endless stream of visual consciousness. In our eyes therewith young Davison forms a great hope for a world flooded with mediocre imagery, having grown up right in the middle of this ecosystem, transcending it by looking beyond just Instagram to all the iconic imagemakers of the past and bringing a new excellence into the digital age. Make sure to see the exhibition when in Amsterdam and follow this young photographer, who we believe will become an iconic imagemaker himself in the (near?) future. [ Continue reading ]
Featuring an incredible new series by Nick Ballon
In May of last year, Port Magazine founders Dan Crowe and Matt Willey along with explorer Ben Saunders presented an impeccable new title named Avaunt Magazine. It is among the independent magazines which don't just stand out because of its foundational do-it-yourself ethics and fresh creative vision, but als boasting a look and feel which aligns itself with some of the more glossier counterparts. Named Avaunt, a Middle English term based of the Old French word avant (‘to the front’), the magazine is dedicated to adventure in the broadest possible sense. A niche in printed matter on the rise with magazines like Sidetracked and Collective Quarterly being other inspirational names launched in the last few years. For its stories Avaunt will bring the reader endeavours and endurance from the wildest, highest, deepest, coldest and hottest corners of Earth, from respected writers and thinkers, concerning adventures in technology, music, science, style and culture, alongside insights from the pioneers and innovators who are shaping our new world. After two incredible issues having done just that in an utmost elegant manner, we are very happy to finally express our admiration here for the recently launched third issue. Also because the issue features a truly incredible new series by another favorite of ours, photographer Nick Ballon. In the series Ballon photographs Budapest’s Honved Fencing Club with his remarkable photographic eye, being our favorite out of the magazine with overal an inspirational high level of quality, both in its imagery and narrative. Make sure to pick it up somewhere near you. [ Continue reading ]
Vincent Fournier at The Ravestijn Gallery
Two weeks ago a new show by the very talented Vincent Fournier named 'Brasília' opened in one our favorites of Amsterdam: The Ravestijn Gallery. After his super inspirational series 'Post Natural History' was on display in Amsterdam in 2014, the French photographic artist returns with a series taken from a totally different perspective and taken in a dissimilar arena. As the name of the exhibition suggest, the series focusses on the Brazilian capital Brasília, which is a one of a kind city composed of reinforced concrete, a paragon of the tenets of modernist architecture and city planning. Enfolded by the artificial Paranoá Lake, the city fashions a curious structural plane; a grid-like formula of post- war modernism arranged into a light curve. Brasília was constructed in the late 50’s from scratch according to the blueprints by the urban planner Lucío Costa, landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx and the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The three designers proposed a set of speculative opportunities for the future of architectural utopia; future, that some sixty years later has lost itself somewhere in the murky water between the past and present. A far cry from the buzzing city streets of Rio and São Paulo, Brasília is a plateau mostly of purpose-built bureaucratic and governmental settings. The austerity of modernist architecture lends itself to Vincent Fournier’s photography series that bear the name of the concrete capital. The result is a aesthetically captivating, perfectly stylized and emotionally haunting series, feeling like stills from a David Lynch film, showing the artificial city from a remarkably constructed perspective. Make sure to see it when in Amsterdam before the 28th of May! [ Continue reading ]