Gigi Giannuzzi, who died on Christmas Eve at the age of 49, founded Trolley Books in 2001 and, as Sara Rosen writes in a tribute at Le Journal de la Photography, he leaves behind more than a decade of art and photography books dedicated to truth, justice, and beauty. 

Born Luigi Giannuzzi in Rome, he was raised in northern Italy. He landed his first job in publishing with Allemandi Books and left there to start his own company, the short-lived West Zone, which published Nan Goldin's book Ten Years After in 1998. In 2001, he famously pushed his book proposals around the Frankfurt Book Fair in a supermarket shopping trolley, an act that gave his new publishing venture its name. Trolley initially established its reputation with a run of politically radical and beautifully designed photo-books that included Dworzak's Taliban, Carl de Keyzer's Zona: Siberian Prison Camps and Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin's Ghetto. Read the obituary by Sean O'Hagan in the Guardian.

Trolleyology, an exhibition of art from the first ten years of Trolley Books will be shown at the London Newcastle Project Space from 18-27 January 2013. It will feature the work of Nina Berman, Chien Chi-Chang, Thomas Dworzak, Philip Jones Griffiths, Rem Koolhaas, Alex Majoli, Paolo Pellegrin, Nicholas Righetti, Chris Stelle-Perkins, Larry Towell, and Nick Wappington, among many others.

The Pictoplasma NYC Conference once more stages the world’s leading and largest celebration of contemporary character culture, with a dense, two day program of inspiring artist presentations, conference lectures, animation festival and performances. Originally scheduled for early November, the conference was postponed due to Sandy’s grip on the region.

In its fourth US edition, Pictoplasma returns to the Tishman Auditorium of Parsons The New School for Design. The conference invites designers, illustrators, fimmakers and producers, fine and urban artists and character connoisseurs to dive deep into the world of contemporary character-driven art and design. See the full schedule/speaker lineup. Register [$190] for your conference pass. Above: Jeremyville at the 2012 Pictoplasma NYC Conference.

This just in from Shahidul Alam, founder of Drik and the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography Bangladesh:

Book your flights to Dhaka now! Graciela Iturbide arrives in town [on Wednesday]. Rupert Grey has just gone off to the Tamabil border to collect his 1936 Rolls Royce which made it all the way over from the UK to attend CMVII.

Pablo Bartholomew arrives [today]. I'm juggling last minute changes. Just booked Veneta Bullen of the Guardian last night. Jean-Jacques Naudet of Le Journal de la Photographie just confirmed that the entire day of the 25th January 2013 will be dedicated to Chobi Mela VII. Front seats are getting booked up. Dhaka is facing a cold spell. Bring your woollies. My calm exterior is deceptive as I'm in crisis management mode. The show is on! [Photo above by Graciela Iturbide, one of the invited artists.]

Chobi Mela VII, January 25 to February 7 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 7,896 miles as the crow flies from NYC. ShahidulNews.

This just in from AI-AP:
The deadline for the American Photography 29 competition is fast approaching. You’ve got until January 25 to submit entries. (Sure, everyone waits until the last minute, but you’d better get a move on. Go here to enter.) AI-AP has also announced the judges for this year’s contest, and a distinguished list it is: Sam Barzilay of United Photo Industries and Photoville; Antonio de Luca of Self-Publish and Be Happy; MaryAnne Golan of the Washington Post; Whitney Johnson of the New Yorker; Jody Quon of New York mag; Caroline Smith of Marie Claire; and Casey Tierney of Real Simple. 

View the current AP28 winning images!

This just in from the New York Photo Festival: 
There are just two short weeks left to submit your photographs to Sandy: Devastation, Document, Drive to Rebuild... Photo Contest. Support this great cause and help raise awareness in NYC and beyond. Selected photographs get posted to our website throughout the open call. All selected photographs will be printed and exhibited at thePOWERHOUSE Arena. 

Proceeds will benefit artists receiving funds through the New York Foundation for the Arts Emergency Relief Fund..