Journalism in this age of conflict continues to be biased towards a western and white point of view when, in fact, most of the current conflicts and unrest occur in regions that are non-western and non-white. Even the terminology for these places has evolved along lines that have little to do with realities. For example, Mao Zedong’s term “the Third World,” coined when he … Read the full Story >>
An assignment from Soho magazine sent Bogota-based photographer Jorge Oviedo to a military base camp in the mountains of Colombia to document the day-to-day lives of women soldiers responsible for finding and collecting anti-personnel mines left by guerrilla groups prior to the signing of the peace agreement that brought a degree of peace to the county after decades of civil war. "There is nothing … Read the full Story >>
Georgia O'Keeffe had style. Plenty of it. "She lavished it on her work, of course, but she applied nearly as much to self-presentation - the clothes she wore, the places she lived and the furnishings and objects they contained," notes the New York Times. This sensibility is on display in an intriguing exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum called "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern," which brings … Read the full Story >>
Practicing photography amid nature in nature is good for you. Studies have shown that immersing oneself in the natural world can have significant health benefits, noted LiveScience recently. In her book "Good Nature," Kathy Willis, a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford. draws on the available evidence to show the health benefits of being surrounded by nature. Willis also shows how doctors … Read the full Story >>
Personal photography projects combine both reflection and exploration. Photographers often will find an area or subject they are connected to and use this medium to understand and represent it. For Mexico City-based Annick Donkers, her photobook "Un-Identified" both retells a formative experience witnessing a UFO while connecting with others who shared similar alien encounters. Through portraiture, astral imagery, and heavy research into the mysterious … Read the full Story >>
Les Rencontres de la PhotographieWhile the 4th of July Weekend is a long awaited respite, often with backyard barbeque, fireworks, even a trip to the beach, many in the world of photography are headed to Arles, France for the 47th edition of Les Rencontres. The opening week, July 4-10, attracts photographers, publishers, gallerists and museum people to a nearly indigestible menu of events, with … Read the full Story >>
"One night I was sitting on my couch watching a documentary on Van Gogh. They showed his portraits and the small room where he lived in France," says Atlanta-based photographer (and PPD reader) Scott Areman. "I remembered how much I liked his portraits and thought it would be fun to do something similar." So began Aremen's project "The Room." After stumbling upon a 300-square-foot … Read the full Story >>
Back in the day, when photographers spoke of leg art, they meant cheesecake. Leg art was the cute term for glamour pictures -- sexy, but not too sexy -- that could sell newspapers and magazines. Stacey Baker has redefined the concept with her City Legs Instagram feed, which is a typological study of New York City women photographed from the waist down. Part street … Read the full Story >>
Of all forms of narrative art, which gains momentum as social media becomes ever more numbing in post-pandemic times, portraiture has remained somewhat on the sidelines. Not surprising as the taint of celebrity seeps onto even the best efforts of artists who, like anyone else, must pay the rent. So one must look hard and often to fined heads that represent the artist’s … Read the full Story >>
What were the best photo books of the past year? The Lucie Foundation has announced the fourth annual Lucie Photo Book Prize winners. Top honors in the Traditional category goes to Antwan Sargent's "The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion," which highlights the work of young black fashion photographers reshaping black identity today. The winner of the Independent category is the monograph … Read the full Story >>
Bay Area artist Bruce Conner, who died in 2008 at age 74, was an artist and filmmaker who explored themes of mortality and decay, often from the trickster's perspective. When repeatedly asked by Who's Who in American Art to update his biography, Connor returned the correspondence marked "deceased." The publication revised his bio accordingly. Associated with the Beats, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and … Read the full Story >>
Last November, Mark Lubell was appointed Executive Director of the International Center of Photography (ICP) following the departure of Mark Robbins, who left the job as director of the museum and school after 19 months to become President and CEO of the American Academy in Rome. Mr. Lubell was Director of Magnum Photos from 2004 until 2011. During his tenure, he negotiated the sale of the Magnum press … Read the full Story >>
On a Monday in early January, in the Floresta area of Veracruz, the port city on Mexico's east coast, the body of Jose Luis Gamboa, the founder and editor of news websites Inforegio and La Noticia, was found in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico. He'd been stabbed at least seven times. A week later, in the border town of Tijuana, the prominent photojournalist … Read the full Story >>
You may find yourself opening weeping when you watch Portland, OR-based photographer Ben Moon's short film Denali. The film is, simply put, the story of the bond between a man and a dog. But it's the specifics of the story that make this particular bond spiritually transcendent, notes the Daily Beast. Moon picked up Denali at a shelter in 1999, and the two spent … Read the full Story >>
A woman in a swimsuit languidly stretched across a lounge chair on a beach in Mexico, alone amid a jumble of other lounge chairs, all of them empty. That was the setting for a black-and-white fashion photo shot by New York-based photographer Jennifer Robbins. The evocative picture was chosen as a winner of the Latin American Fotografia 2 competition. "I love lounge chairs," says … Read the full Story >>
"After my father's suicide when we were 14 years old, the lives of my twin sister and my mother, as well as my own, changed radically. Every aspect of our destiny as a middle-class family was interrupted by his death." So writes fine-art photographer Mariela Sancari of her profoundly personal series "Two Headed Horse." Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and now living in Mexico … Read the full Story >>
Born and raised in Seattle, Blake Little studied at the University of Washington and Seattle Central College before moving to Los Angeles, where he carved out a successful career in photography shooting portraits of actors and artists alongside completing an astonishing range of personal projects. His latest book, "Construction Nudes 1981-1985," brings together work that Little made after moving to LA--images juxtaposing the purity … Read the full Story >>
This week I’m giving thanks for some extra time for breathing, seeing, and feeling the NYC vibe. So for this holiday week DART Board, join me on a tour of not to miss art shows. DOWNTOWN Bianca Beck | Body Double, through December 23. Rachel Uffner, 170 Suffolk Street, NY, NY Info Rachel Mica Weiss | Limits, through December 21. LMAKGallery, 298 Grand … Read the full Story >>
Lynda Barry's new book, Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book, takes her invention, the graphic memoir, into uncharted territory. She brings back Marlys and Arna, characters from her previous book, What It Is, and introduces the Near-Sighted Monkey, a cigarette-smoking alter ego from Hell. Through these tough cookies, she poses questions that no adult in their right mind would ask. For … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Your ink/wash drawings are so expressive. Where did you first notice this medium and when did you take it up yourself? Paul Alex: I’ve been drawing with Chinese brushes and ink wash for about three years now; before that I mostly used technical pens. I can’t recall specifically where I first noticed the technique although I have been a life-long admirer of … Read the full Story >>
