Released as a publication in 2014 by publisher Lecturis, Finnish photographer Heikki Kaski's incredible 'Tranquility' series continues to travel the world. Last week the series came from Brussels to London as part of the Foam Talent exhibition at Beaconsfield Gallery, and subsequently it will find its way to Riga. No suprise there by the way, as it is still some of our favorite photographic work which we've encountered recently, moving between the fields of documentary and landscape photography, full of mysticism and narrative, in line with names like Wim Wenders and Todd Hido. The story of the series revolves around its slightly captious moniker: the Californian town of Tranquility, which Kaski visited repeatedly over the course of one and half year. The town exists on a new kind of frontier, which is geographical, but also historical, marking the seeming obsolescence of established forms of production and social organization. Heikki Kaski’s pictures of the town and its inhabitants are a fractured series of reflections on a landscape that seems to have outlived its own history. He does not offer a factual narrative about the specifics of this place, which is treated instead as the archetype of a particular situation, joining subjective experience to economic realities. This is an acknowledgement of the fundamental link that exists between the social order and the lives of those who exist within it. Kaski creates a distinct, palpably uneasy atmosphere, marked by the use of several, and often clashing, visual strategies to demonstrate the unresolved tensions that have come to define not only the place itself, but also evoke the inner lives of those people who call it home. [ Continue reading ]

Last month, Chiara Padovan and Thomas Sing introduced their beautiful Models in the Raw project to us, which proved a great discovery. The beautiful on-going photographic series by the Berlin-based duo was born out of their desire for realness, simplicity and authenticity. It chases a glimpse beneath the surface of glossy imagery by portraying those who bring a whole industry to life by lending it their faces: the models. The girls who usually are the passive player in the industry are handed back the choice of their own presentation including the clothes and the place they would like to be photographed in, been only asked to - speaking in Kurt Cobain's word - come as they are. The portraits are shot on film for an increased raw reality effect and accompanied by a personal, tailored interview based on the conversation during the session. We love the approach of Padovan and Sing, but most of all value the body of work they have created so far, showing their great eye to capture these interesting faces in a most sincere way. [ Continue reading ]

Last month this remarkable book was released by German publisher Taschen. Initiated, researched and written by Jim Heiman, executive editor of TASCHEN America, the hefty book is the most comprehensive visual history of surfing to date, marking a major cultural event as much as a publication. Following three and a half years of meticulous research, it brings together more than 900 images to chart the evolution of surfing as a sport, a lifestyle, and a philosophy. The book is arranged into five chronological chapters, tracing surfing culture from the first recorded European contact in 1778 by Captain James Cook to the global and multi-platform phenomenon of today. Utilizing institutions, collections, and photographic archives from around the world, and with accompanying essays by the world’s top surf journalists, it celebrates the sport on and off the water, as a community of 20 million practitioners and countless more devotees, and as a leading influence on fashion, film, art, and music. Such an incredible, well designed insightful gem! [ Continue reading ]

For the launch of the all new Brevet collection by Rapha they found another great angle (and race for that matter) to portray the new gear in the preconditions they were made for. Three riders travelled to South Africa to explore part of the Tour of Ara – a 700km race across some of the country’s most notorious and challenging terrain. The rather demanding tour, named for the Southern Hemisphere constellation of Ara, is an unsupported six-day amateur stage race, and is a true test of self-sufficiency and endurance – definitely not for the faint hearted. It passes through incredibly isolated and arid terrain, including a 400.000 square kilometer expanse of land known as the Karoo, in the southeastern region of the country and is entirely at ones own risk. As of now the Tour of Ara is still completely independent, and paid for by the entrants; there are no sponsors or patrons, and no prize money. In our eyes it formed the perfect presentation of the beautiful new collection. Hopefully we can see the Karoo by bike ourselves one day.. [ Continue reading ]

We discovered the Antwerp-based IBASHO gallery as one of the exhibitors of last year's Unseen Photo Fair. During the long weekend in Amsterdam, amongst other work, it showed the incredible 'Tokyo Parrots' series by the very talented Japanese photographer Yoshinori Mizutani, which we were very happy to see in real life for the first time and formed one of the undisputed highlights of the whole festival for us. IBASHO specializes in contemporary photography and next to Mizutani has some very talented photographers in its roster. Despite the other talent Yoshinori Mizutani remains our favorite and on the 7th of April the gallery presents the second solo exhibition of the young Japanese artist. After the successful pop-up show in 2015 at Graanmarkt 13, the work of Mizutani will return in Antwerp with a solo exhibition in the gallery. The exhibition combines images from his earlier popular series 'Tokyo Parrots' and 'Yusurika' with two new series, 'Sakura' and 'Kawau'. In 'Sakura', inspiration of  the name of this particular show, Mizutani shows us an unusual and mesmerizing view on one of Japans icons, the cherry blossom. The abstract and graphic black and white photography of the 'Kawau '- Japanese for the cormorant bird - is Mizutani’s second exploration of birds in an urban environment, and forms the perfect grainy black and white counterpart of the pastel colored 'Tokyo Parrots'. We can't wait for this incredible showcase of Mizutani's talent. [ Continue reading ]

Recently the promising 'Nowhere Like Home' project by Norwegian Design Academy Eindhoven student Jonas Ersland was brought to our attention. The on-going photographic series started one and a half years ago on a little island in the very south of Norway. There, Ersland found himself back on the place where he had spent every summer since his childhood, after having lived a year abroad in Eindhoven for his studies. For the first time in his life he realized how familiar this place was to him. Every tree, every little street, all the elements you take for granted when you know a place from the inside spoke to him through their ingrained shapes and forms. To catch this exact sentiment, Ersland decided he needed to document his surroundings, imagining what it would look like to someone from the outside. After the first series, taken in the Southern Norwegian town Mandal, he continued making these monthly series from different places, trying to observe each place as an old friend, but from the perspective of an outsider, which at this point the spectator all over Europe: from his current hometown Eindhoven to Paris, different places in Norway, Milan and New York City. In his imagery Ersland seems to be clearly influenced by the impactful isolated imagery of names like Daniel Everett and Adrià Cañameras, but he proves to be of value in the genre with his unique qualities both through his personal aesthetic vision and the accompanying narrative forming the motif of the series. We look forward to more in this project by the talented photographer. [ Continue reading ]

It is undeniable that we live in a time in which it becomes harder and harder to stand out in this world saturated with similar content, partly also because of the seemingly definite loss of the pre-digitalization attention span people used to have (like ourselves by the way; we miss our pre-internet brain). With a never-ending exposure of communicational elements, being unleashed by media, companies and brands alike, most people in search for an relevant audience will use a louder - or bigger - voice to still be heard. Especially in fashion, what has become the most neurotic field in the creative industry. One of the scarce forerunners and real creative thinkers of recent years; Jonathan Anderson, decided to use the far opposite of that approach for his recently released Spring/Summer 2016 campaign. Together with regular collaborators; renown Parisian graphic design studio M/M Paris and Jamie Hawkesworth - who together with the designer created a cutting edge visual language for both the J.W. Anderson label and the Spanish fashion house Loewe - their finest work till date was presented to the world two months ago: a campaign in the size of a postal stamp featuring model Mayka Merino, which will literally force you to take a second look. Next to being a highly elegant - uncommon - aesthetic expression for a seasonal campaign, it is above all hope-giving to observe that in times of shouting some people still dare to whisper. [ Continue reading ]

We recently became familiar with an interesting new project which combines a love for both photography and flowers remarkably. Given the name OVERGROWTH, Portland-based photographer Parker Fitzgerald and floral designer Riley Messina present a new limited edition art publication conceived and produced from their hometown in the United States. Created over the course of two years, the book is comprised of nearly 120 original images that elegantly blur the lines between humans and nature. Photographed primarily in Portland between March 2013 and February 2015, the book features a large cast of friends posed with Messina's striking floral arrangements. Shot entirely on Kodak film by Fitzgerald, and styled by Messina, the images have a soft, painting-like quality that gives the project a timeless aesthetic. In the elegantly composed still lifes and real-life collages (reminding of the extraordinary work of Rocío Montoya), the two artists juxtapose and merge the lines of the flowers with the human body remarkably in different contexts, always succeeding to engage us as the spectator.  [ Continue reading ]

The very talented Dutch photographer Robin de Puy set off across the United States in May 2015 in search for peace of mind. Her most vital equipment was in her saddlebags: a couple of lamps, two cameras and a lighting umbrella. She followed no set route but toured the country looking for distinctive faces to photograph – people of all ages and both sexes whom she just happened to meet on her travels. She specifically did not want to record social contrasts or the antithesis between urban America and the country’s endless empty spaces. The result is an incredible series of portraits, reminding of Robert Frank and Richard Avedon, which will be presented by the Hague Museum of Photography in the photographer’s first ever solo show in a museum setting. The exhibition with the title 'If this is true… 8,000 Miles on a Motorcycle in the USA' will open for the public on the 19th of March. De Puy's remarkable talent and eye for detail is undisputed by now, but the American arena and setting clearly inspired the photographer to take some of her most compelling images till date. Don't miss this remarkble exhibition.  [ Continue reading ]

We first encountered the remarkable work of photographer (and painter) Lorena Lohr last year, when she released the third self-published photographic book of her travels throughout the United States named 'Western Nights'. Before that she had already released 'Palm Desert', published in 2011 and 'Desert Sands' a year later. This month, Lohr returns with another inspirational chapter of her on-going personal love affair between traveling and photography. It is clear that the photographer can't get enough of her journeys by Greyhound bus, train and on foot, taking herself throughout the Southwest, the West Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. We on the other hand continue to be intrigued by the isolated imagery it inspires her to take, ranging from deserted diner kitchen, unkept garden, empty pools and neon signs. Although the images clearly evoke some sense of sadness and the feeling of former glory, mostly excluding humans in the frames, the color palette reminds of the seventies and is inherently attractive, making the images bittersweet in the truest sense of the word.  [ Continue reading ]

Always looking for photography with the quality of a verb rather than a noun (in the inspirational words of Gus Powell), we recently encountered another great series of work. Greek photographer Marinos Tsagkarakis started his series 'Paradise Inn' in 2012, aiming to portray the (horrible) consequences of the massive and uncontrolled tourist development which has taken place in the last few decades throughout the Mediterranean, including his home Greece. The ruthless industry drastically intrudes the land, transforming whole coastal areas into generic paradises, designed to recreate the average man on holiday. Literarily just during that period of time, as the rest of the year these areas stay abandoned, losing its thin layer of camouflage in the form of happy holidayers and showing its true colors of intense ugliness. The images of Tsagkarakis show the cheap fundament on which the tourist industry is built, forming a sad but beautiful testament of how some people have lost the true meaning of the word 'paradise'. [ Continue reading ]

We have been friends with Berlin-based everlasting source for inspiration Freunde von Freunden since its inception, so it was a great honor to be featured as one of their Workplaces visits in the Summer of 2014. Yesterday marked another great Freunde von Freunden moment for us, as we were very proud to see our close friend (and Tenue de Nîmes partner) Menno van Meurs as the latest addition in the series that focusses on the work environment. Shot by our friend Jordi Huisman and interviewed by CreativeMornings host Margot van der Krogt, Menno opened up both the doors of his home and the epicenter of the Tenue de Nîmes operation located in the far West of Amsterdam; sharing his passion for denim, vintage design and all those other things that get better over time, in other words: 'the good things in life'. Forming the firm fundament of Tenue, both as the shaping inspirations that have formed us and subsequently in the curation and creation of everything being released by and under the Tenue de Nîmes label. [ Continue reading ]

Although it's been years since we mentioned the Swedish brand Filippa K here, mostly because it completely lost our attention for a while, in the last two years the brand has rerouted itself back into our field of interest. Next to the fact that it has set some remarkable leading ambitions towards being progressively more eco-friendly, which is rather unheard-of considering its global position, the brand furthermore seems to also have found a way more interesting creative field to work from. For the Autumn/Winter 2016 collection presentation, Filippa K’s Creative Director Nina Bogstedt chose to work with two great artists who are close to her heart, and close collaborators of the brand. Julia Hetta and Åsa Stenerhag share the softness, calm and clean lines that are at the core of Filippa K’s aesthetics – they also happen to be childhood friends. Together Hetta, Stenerhag and Bogstedt have turned the presentation space into a world of its own – with works that reflect and interpret the collection, but also give it an unexpected twist which they named 'Seeking Patterns'. [ Continue reading ]

We continue to stay in Japan, bringing you another Japanese artist whose exceptional work we recently discovered - in this case through a feature by the always inspirational Phases Magazine. Although the excellently curated platform almost always succeeds in curating captivating imagemakers, the work of photographic artist Yuichiro Higashiji stands out in the most subtle way possible. Reminding us strongly of the work of another photographic imagemaker which we hold in the highest esteem; Adam Jeppesen, the Japanese photographer's works from the principle of reproducing his images to the point of fading. In this proces a fascinating dynamic is instilled through which his - in the case of his 'Everybody Knows, Nobody Knows' series - grainy black and white representations come to life and fade away, almost mimicking the way affect and memory are sometimes stimulated in the brain. As a result the series of images by Higashiji become their own profound kind of projection on anyone who takes the time to really indulge in the images. [ Continue reading ]

Last month we discovered the extraordinary 'Yo + Yo' project by New York-based Brazilian typographic artist and graphic designer Yomar Augusto. The start of the new project leads all the way back to a period between 1960 and 1962, during which Augusto's father was deployed to the Gaza Strip as part of the United Nations emergency force where he combined his work as a soldier with photography. The insightful images he shot there show the daily life inside the military compound, the region and numerous charismatic self portraits of the young lieutenant. As fans of vintage photographs with a beautiful weathered look these images really appeal to us to begin with, but Yomar's vision to hybridize his personal talents with their shared passion for photography makes 'Yo + Yo' a next level project of a son who's father died when he was 5 years old. Having printed the photographs on 1 meter wide paper, Yomar adds a distinct layer of both typography and graphics, giving the images a strong new meaning, both on the mentioned deep personal level, but even more as remarkable imagery with an extraordinary raw aesthetic. [ Continue reading ]

During the last couple of years - all the way back to the very beginning of Another Something in 2009 - we have mentioned our good friend, photographer Yamandú Roos and his remarkable photographic journey which took him all over the European continent. After having made a name for himself photographing the (international) hiphop scene in Amsterdam from the end of the last century, the photographer decided to start his artistic quest at the age of 27, trying to capture Europe in all its rich- and ugliness. Always as honest as possible. Ten years later, 15 separate trips under his belt, over 65.000 kilometers driven in his notorious ride 'The Eagle', having crossed through 40 different European countries; in October of this year Yamandú finally presented the essence of his extraordinary project to the world when the elegant 'Europeans' was published by Red Lebanese. A tremendous conclusion of a tremendous project.   [ Continue reading ]

Here's something to look forward to in the fast approaching new year. Amsterdam-based The Ravestijn Gallery will start 2016 tremendously with the show named 'The Magic Tree' featuring work by Dutch photographer Marie-José Jongerius, opening on the 15th of January. The story of the show starts all the way back in 1999, when Jongerius left for Los Angeles with the mission to photograph writers, actors and directors. With each car ride to a new photoshoot her fascination grew with the relentless attempt by the Americans to control this Californian landscape. For over ten years she has photographed places where human imagination and the force of nature interact, from artificial lakes to the edge of the advancing desert, of which an incredible selection is shown in Amsterdam. Her images of the isolated - sometimes freely in nature, sometimes peeking out of their man-made cages - are both mysterious and highly aesthetic, making 'The Magic Tree' a must visit next month. [ Continue reading ]

Lollipop Magazine, of which the third issue was launched this year, is a tremendous visual document of an entire Formula One race weekend. Popular Mechanics named it 'The Greatest Formula 1 Magazine You've Never Heard Of' and it certainly is the most inspiring racing magazine we have ever laid eyes one. Driven by sharp and elegant photography, it takes one inside the team garages, the paddock and trackside - giving unprecedented access to the world's most secretive sport. The most recent issue, Lollipop Magazine #3 is a 228 page soft-cover book, featuring nine races and critical statistics of the season. It features interviews and portraits of Pirelli director Paul Hembery, next to F1 drivers, Daniel Ricciardo, Dutch pride 17-year old Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Alexander Rossi and Kevin Magnussen. Finally, the issue also features an one-off fashion shoot, collaborating with Pirelli Motorsports, and legendary photographer, Harri Peccinotti, who shot the risqué Pirelli Calendar in 1969. [ Continue reading ]

Brought to our attention last month by Nowness, we are smitten by the incredible photographic series and accompanying video named 'Blast' in which visionary photographer Jim Mangan has caught rally car driver Ken Block sublimely. In August 2013, Mangan asked his friend Block to demonstrate his skills at the wheel for a photo project. His idea was to photograph clouds of dust in mountainous southern Utah a rugged desert area he’d explored dozens of times while camping and mountain biking and the kind of arena where the photographer has proven to produce his most remarkable images. To achieve his vision of hybridizing landscape and machine, Mangan needed someone with the daring and a car with the power to wreak havoc on the remote landscape and send trailing puffs of dirt into the air. The two finally got together last year for several days of shooting in the valleys extending some 74 miles between Capitol Reef National Park and Goblin Valley, Utah. The results are incredible. [ Continue reading ]

We have been following English photographer Alastair Philip Wiper for several years in which he consistently has portrayed some of the most beautiful industrial environments in the most beautiful manner. His eye always finds fascinating beauty in the at first glance practical machinery, whether it are weaving machines, the nuclear research centre CERN or a sonic weapon. Alastair's latest book is another remarkable collection of images, taking us into the world of Danish innovators Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who founded Bang & Olufsen in 1925. Named 'The Art of Impossible' it features 240 pages - for which Wiper both shot the images and has written the texts - taking the reader behind the company's iconic logo. Delving into the stories behind each of the breakthrough, historic Bang & Olufsen designs, as well as profiles on the designers behind each innovative creation - the remarkable book forms a both insightful as incredibly eye pleasing book on the cutting edge design house. [ Continue reading ]

The fascinating photographs of Petros Koublis are like portals into another dimension. His latest series named 'In Dreams' is based on the photographer's extensive research in the writings of the Neoplatonic school and the ‘Oneirokritika’ treatise by Ancient Greek diviner Artemidorus Daldianus, inspiring him to capture divine landscapes made out of nature's utmost beauty - whether that are sedimentary rocks, colorful flora or some of the most mythical fauna to be found on earth. Always evoking the feeling of another universe to be discovered beyond that single frame. With his images - which were all shot in Greece itself - Koublis searches to bypass the mind and trigger ones intuition in order to "release the perceiving force of our senses."  We can't stop gazing at these extraordinary photographs. [ Continue reading ]

In September of 2013 we wrote about the fascinating story of Rob Lutter, who in 2011 had left England by bike and had travelled all the way to Hong Kong for charity. At that moment he sought new funds via Kickstarter to continue being on the road, which he eventually did. A staggering 4,5 years after Rob has left England he covered 40.000 kilometer by bike, completing a tremendous quest all around the world. With the journey officially having reached its final destination a last Kickstarter project has gone live now to create the best possible presentation of the endeavor in an elegant printed form. Rob's goal is to publish two books: 'A Thousand Dawns'; describing the story of the ride and 'Lifecycle'; presenting a collection of selected photos and tales. Make sure to support this remarkable project and man, to let him reach one last final destination. [ Continue reading ]

The truly stunning 'Color Photographs' exhibition with incredible new work by Japanese artist Daisuke Yokota formed his highly anticipated debut in the United States, which opened for the public last September. Celebrated internationally for his interdisciplinary and energetic approach to art and bookmaking, the show focusses on the artist's experiments with color photography. With this series, as Yokota explains, he “tried not to take pictures,” and instead sought to “draw out the physical aspect of film.” Yokota layered sheets of unused large format color film and applied unorthodox developing methods before scanning the results. Here, documentation is replaced with darkroom alchemy in order to show that the essence of photography rests not necessarily with the camera, but in film itself. Resulting in a extraordinary body of work, reminding strongly of the experimental cinema of Stan Brakhage, in the sense of it in our eyes being a perfect homage to the cutting edge work of the filmmaker. When in New York make sure to see this thrilling exhibition! [ Continue reading ]

It is no secret that Ramon Haindl is one of our favorite photographers out there and he keeps on creating beautiful work to continue being just that. We discovered the German - who also creates with mixed media and collage in his free projects - through his captures of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy some years ago, after which he has been creating a body of work of both autonomous projects as for clients showing his relentless approach (sleeping very little) and extraordinary multiple talents. His latest series brought Haindl to the famous tracks of the Nürburgring where he shot another gem for the Lufthansa Exclusive Magazine. With a somewhat similar approach and aesthetic as that very first series we discovered, the new work shows how Ramon has grown in the couple of years that have passed: every image being nothing short of iconic. Whether he portrays the oldtimers (both cars and drivers) in shiny monochrome images or the toned down classic color palette: we love every single image of the series. [ Continue reading ]