Paul Graham

NoteWorthy PhotoBooks, 2018

Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava (*except as credited)

Let’s go book shopping! As I list PhotoBooks I consider NoteWorthy, let’s remember the Bookstores that are still left where you can actually see these books. The Strand Bookstore, NYC, is one of those I frequent. I hope there is at least one near you. Click any Photo for full size.

Another day. Another chance to look at PhotoBooks, to see life, and the world, through someone else’s eyes, to learn something and just maybe have a revelation. I look at A LOT of PhotoBooks (and Art Books). Nary a day passes that I don’t see one/some somewhere. In bookstores, used bookstores, museum stores, galleries, book fairs, pop-up shops, garage sales, online- you name it. Both, just released PhotoBooks and those I’ve only known through legend. I’m getting close to eating, sleeping and breathing Photo & ArtBooks. Why? I use them to research my pieces, to learn about Artists known & unknown to me, and to explore that fascinating phenomenon that is the PhotoBook- which, in its ultimate form, is a work of Art unto itself. A third of those I see I never look at, or think about, a second time. About 40% I do either look at again or think about again. And, far too many of them I purchase. (For the record- Yes, I’ve put my money where my mouth is. I bought every book on this list.)

MoMA PS1, Long Island City, scene of the recent New York Art Book Fair. In case you don’t know, there’s a quite good full time Art & PhotoBook store tucked inside, in addition to the excellent magazine shop off the lobby, right behind that grey wall to the right.

So, after all of this looking, I’ve decided to share a few of those here that have turned out to be especially memorable, or “NoteWorthy,” as I’m fond of saying (There’s no such thing as “best” in the Arts, in my view. I don’t believe in comparing Artists or creative work). Compiling this has been very hard.

Depth of Field. The scene in just one of the many rooms at the New York Art Book Fair (NYABF) @ MoMA PS1, Long Island City, September 21, 2018. I handed my camera to Kris Graves who took this Photo with it from behind his table.

First, we live at a moment when there are more PhotoBooks being produced than ever before. It seems there are an incalculable number of publishers and Artists creating books at a speed I doubt anyone can keep up with. So, as many PhotoBooks as I look at represents only a small percent of those released. Hey, I really tried!

William Eggleston: Black & White. The cover image shown on pages 82-3 of Steidl’s Fall/Winter 2017/2018 Catalogue. I was very much looking forward to seeing what revelations this might hold  in 2018 after the showing of Eggleston’s black & white work at The Met a few months back. Where are you? Phone home. *Steidl Photo. 

Another thing is a bit complicated. Publication dates have become hard to figure. Some of the bigger PhotoBook publishers announce books and show them in their catalogs up to one year before they ever show up in stores here (physical bookstores). The brand new hardcover version of Steidl’s Fall/Winter 2018/19 catalogue now even contains a section featuring “Previously Announced” Books (i.e. books originally scheduled to have been out this year)! Some “Previously Announced” books never do show up (Steidl now completely omits the “Previously Announced” William Eggleston: Black and White. ?). And then, a book that appears as a newly released book in a bookstore here may have come out to the rest of the world in 2016 or 2017. How to treat those books? Do they “count” as eligible for 2018 lists? After mulling this over the past few months, I’ve decided to give lesser priority to publication dates and go by when I first saw the book appear in stores. So, one or two of these may have been released over the past few years, though most of them say “2018” in them. For me, the date of the book isn’t as important as the impact its had on me. That’s my criteria. Maybe, you’ll agree, maybe you won’t. Either way, I encourage you to make your own list.

The Rare Book Room at Strand Bookstore. How many books released this year will end up here?

Ok. With all of that out of the way, here they are, listed in no particular order, in a special edition of my regular BookMarks feature. (First, a special note-If you like what you find on NighthawkNYC, I hope you’ll consider supporting it so that I can continue to spend the countless hours and pay the expenses its taken to keep it going these past 3 years- without running ads. If you would like to, you can make a donation through PayPal by clicking on the box to the right of the banner at the top of the page that will take you to the Donation button. Your support is VERY much appreciated.)

***NoteWorthy PhotoBooks, 2018***

How do they do it? Teamwork. Lester Rosso, left with Paul Schiek, the creative masterminds behind TBW Books, and in front of their sign, reveal one of the secrets of their magic that, it seems to me, a number of others are now trying to emulate. Good Luck with that! Their secret? They consistently make excellent books with top Artists. NYABF, September 21, 2018.

-Gregory Halpern, Confederate Moons with Jason Fulford’s Clayton’s Ascent, Viviane Sassen’s Heliotrope and Guido Guidi’s Dietro Casa, part of TBW’s excellent Annual Series 6. If I were to recommend one new book this year, Gregory Halpern’s would be it. When I look at it, I see a frozen moment in life in America, 2017, seen in the shadows of the solar eclipse, an instant when nature reminds us that everything we stress out about or fight about pales alongside the power IT holds. My look at Confederate Moons is here. 

Gregory Halpern, left with the beard and the glasses, and Jason Fulford, right, in the green striped shorts, authored two of the four volumes in this year’s TBW Annual Series here sign them at TBW’s booth, NYABF, September 21, 2018. PhotoBook Business 102- You know you’re doing something right when Artists like these two want to work with you. Mr. Fulford has his own respected publishing house, J&L Books. Mr. Halpern, the 2016 Paris Photo-Aperture PhotoBook of the Year Award Winner, is fresh off his nomination to join Magnum Photos.

–Diane Arbus: A box of ten photographs, Aperture. The only portfolio Diane Arbus produced during her lifetime is beautifully reproduced from the only set in a public collection, which happens to be the only one with 11, not 10, Photographs. This is one of the books that will be essential for anyone interested in Diane Arbus henceforth. Aperture says “it will never be reprinted.” Nuff said.

Instant classic. Diane Arbus: A box of 10 photographs. Seen at Aperture Gallery & Bookstore, an NYC Photo mecca.

-Harry Gruyaert, Harry Gruyaert (Retrospective with the red cover), and Harry Gruyaert: East/Westboth Thames and Hudson- Two books that solidify the Belgian-born Photographer’s place alongside the better-known “early masters of modern & contemporary color Art Photography,” including Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Saul Leiter, et al. (A term that puzzles me since color in fine Art Photography can be traced back to, at least, Sarah Angelina Ackland, circa 1900). More on both books in my recent conversation with Harry Gruyaert, here.

One of the irreplaceable things about physical book stores are its people, like Miwa Susuda of Dashwood Books, seen here. Miwa is, also, a writer and a PhotoBook publisher with her Session Press. In 2017, Session Press and Dashwood Books released the fine Blue Period / Last Summer by the legendary Japanese Photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki, a copy of which she holds. Seen at Dashwood on October 24, 2018.

-Cristina de Middel– The Perfect Man. Cristina de Middel is an Artist who should win an MTV Video Vanguard award. Huh? What I mean is that I can think of no other Photographer who’s books are consistently pushing the boundaries of what a PhotoBook is and can be. This is just the latest in her series of compelling books, most of which are built around subjects that only the most imaginative would say “There’s a PhotoBook in this!” While that certainly wins her major points in my book, if she wasn’t, also, a world class Photographer, she would just be a curiosity. She is. But, you don’t have to take my word for it- Magnum Photos nominated her to join the world’s leading Photographic collective in 2017. The Perfect Man starts with looking at the largest Charlie Chaplin impersonator festival (with many of its subject posed in scenes reminiscent of Mr. Chaplin’s immortal “Modern Times”), and winds up being a broad look at Indian masculinity, and then a look at social customs Indian women are faced with interacting with them. It’s another book that surprises, and another book, like her classic The Afronauts1, that shows the new and old worlds colliding at full speed in unexpected ways.

Kris Graves holding the contents of LOST, which comes as a set in the spiffy orange box with blue lettering under his hand at his +Kris Graves Projects booth at the NYABF, September 22, 2018. His newly released A Bleak Reality is seen in the foreground.

-Kris Graves, et al, LOST +Kris Graves Projects. A ground-breaking (sorry!) work in a number of ways. First, it’s a daring, TEN volume box set by a smaller publisher featuring the work of a number of established Artists (including Lois Conner and Lynn Saville) along side that of others who are on the way up (like Zora J. Murff, Joseph P. Traina and Owen Conway), each contributing a PhotoBook on a different city around the world. Second, typically for +KGP, the cost is quite reasonable, for both the individual books or the set. And last, taken as a whole it’s a stunning example of what a well-run, Artist-run publishing house can achieve. Did I mention that each component book stands, and stands out, on its own? Also in 2018, A Bleak Reality by Kris Graves from +KGP is a powerful look at 8 sites where young black men were murdered by police officers, a collection of his work that first brought Kris to my attention at AIPAD this past April, as I wrote about here.

Multi-talented Artist & Gnomic Book publisher, Jason Koxvold, center, with Gnomic Book Artists Shane Rocheleau, left, and Romke Hoogwaerts, right at the Gnomic Book booth at the NYABF, September 22, 2018.

-Shane Rocheleau, You are Masters of the Fish and Birds and All the Animals (or, YAMOTFABAATA as it reads on its spine), Gnomic Book. A book that looks at the legacy of being white and male in America, quickly expands in scope to include any number of related effects, artifacts and institutions. It also reveals that the words “think small” apparently do not exist in Mr. Rocheleau’s vocabulary. The results are a first PhotoBook that’s extremely ambitious in its scope, biblical in its effect, gorgeously shot with a magical combination of subtlety and abstraction, edited like a Stanley Kubrick film, and exquisitely produced down to the smallest detail- (like its beautiful, hypnotic, and seductive to the touch, cover)…Phew! Along the way, it’s also chock full of indelible images that combine to make it linger and linger on in the mind later. A remarkable achievement, particularly for a first PhotoBook- the only first PhotoBook in this Noteworthy PhotoBooks, 2018 section. Limited edition of 500 copies. My recent Q&A with Shane Rocheleau is here. 

Rosalind Fox Solomon, Liberty Theater, MACK. Something of a marvel, another entry in this Post of a book that consists of a body of work decades in the making, this one is special. Culled from 400 Photographs taken in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, across the south, these 77 show a wide range of glimpses into the complex issues of race and racism, class and gender divisions that could be pivotal moments from 77 films that each stand on their own while provoking a world of feelings and reactions. Except comfort. The title speaks to a performance, and her website says the images are “poised between act and reenactment…” Now 88, Rosalind Fox Solomon, who like Diane Arbus, studied with Lisette Model in the 1970s, shares something of Ms. Arbus’ mystery and power in images that demand repeat viewing, here, in a tightly edited volume that quietly stuns as often as it shocks, aided by yet another powerful essay by Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, who’s first PhotoBook also appears on this list.

***Noteworthy First PhotoBooks***

–Shahrzad Darafsheh- Half-Light, Gnomic Book. Iranian Photographer Shahrzad Darafsheh was diagnosed with cancer at age 36. But? She hasn’t let it stop her creativity or her work! It seems to me that anyone who’s been through cancer, or knows someone who has, can relate to her new first PhotoBook, Half-Light. It’s, at once both intimately personal, and universal, a book that looks inwards and outwards at the same time. Designed to be read either in western style left to right, or right to left, the custom in Farsi, one time I went through it it felt like an out of body experience. Cancer changes your life- forever, and it also changes how you see life, forever. Here is a Photographic record of the early days of this very talented young Artist’s cancer experience, seeing the world anew and turning her lens on herself, and her surroundings with wondering eyes. Its 300 copies are far too few to reach the audience this book deserves, so don’t wait long. It’s somewhat miraculous that Gnomic’s Jason Koxvold somehow found this work and overcame all the layers of problems inherent in working with an Artist living in Iran to produce such a beautiful and important book.

Shahrzad Darafsheh’s Half-Light.

-Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa – One Wall A Web. Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa has been one of the most astute and urgent voices writing about Photography and PhotoBooks for some time now. His writing has appeared in a wide range of places, including in a number of PhotoBooks, like Jason Koxvold’s excellent Knives. With One Wall a Web the world gets to see his first collection of his Photographic work. Born in Uganda  and living here for a number of years, One Wall is a far ranging look at American life, culture and society with a focus on the black reality in this country in two sets of original Photographs surrounding a section of appropriated vintage archival Photographs. It’s so wide-ranging it even masterfully weaves Allen Ginsberg’s classic poem Howl in. It’s already clear to me that One Wall a Web is one of those books that define this moment, as his friend’s Shane Rocheleau’s does in its way. It’s a book people will be discussing, referring to and looking at for many years to come. As I write this, about 70 copies remain of the first edition.

 

Roma Publications co-founder Roger Willems holds a copy of One Wall a Web, by Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa at Roma’s booth at the NYABF, September 22, 2018.

-Jo Ann Walters- Wood River Blue Pool, ITI Ithaca  Named after a river and a pool near her hometown of Alton, Illinois, a journey through its 120 pages it makes it quickly apparent that yes, still waters run deep. A book over 30 years in the making, it’s a veritable time capsule of people and places, seen with a strong and singular eye, here largely cast on women and girls around her hometown, and elsewhere from Minnestoa to Mississippi cry out for extended pondering- on the women and/or children depicted, their situations and surroundings, and the moment. Coincidentally, Ms. Walters also teaches at Purchase College on the same Photography faculty with Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa. My thanks to Kris Graves for  making me aware of this book. He did so purely on the book’s exceptional merit as something I should see. Modestly, he did so without mentioning that he was once one of her students, which I found out later. Jo Ann Walters’ tree has many branches. Now? We finally get to sit under another one with wonder at her achievement. I’ve found it makes an interesting pairing with the following-

-Petra Collins- Coming of Age, Rizzoli. A minor sensation when it was released, causing first printing copies to instantly vaporize, surprising no one more than its publisher, Rizzoli, who scrambled to produce a second printing, which finally materialized after a few months absence. Coming of Age, (a perfect title in more ways than one), touched a nerve with its subject generation, and with the esteemed Artist, Marilyn Minter, who interviews Ms. Collins inside. It’s easy to see why. Petra Collins Photographs her subjects the way they would like to be seen, and shows sides of them and their lives the rest of us never see. While other Photographers have garnered more attention for more contrived work in this genre, Petra Collins is the one to watch, in my view.

-Rose Marie Cromwell, El Libro Supremo de la Suerte, TIS Books/LightWork. I lived in Miami and South Florida, where it’s impossible to escape the flavor and influence of nearby Cuba. Here’s, an amazing look at the real thing, shot over 8 years while the Artist lived in Havana. It’s a thunderbolt, filled with color, as  you’d expect, but it’s also full of a poignant intimacy that surprises. Another book with an instant buzz that saw copies flying out the door, and a long line for signed examples at TIS’ Booth at the NYABF. El Libro Supreme de la Suerte (The Supreme Book of Luck) supremely deserves it.

If you are able to pick only one book from that group? You are a better man or woman than I am.

PhotoBooks are all we sell! One wall of titles at Dashwood Books.

***NoteWorthy Photo Related Book without Photos***

In this “decisive moment,” the foreshortening got the better of my auto-focus.

-Henri Cartier-Bresson- Interviews and Conversations, 1951-98, Aperture. I picked up The Mind’s Eye, Cartier-Bresson’s writings on Photography and Photographers, which didn’t have the insights I was looking for. Interviews and Conversations does. On every single page. Essential. A reference book for the ages.

***NoteWorthy Reissues***

The New Arrivals wall at Printed Matter, presenters of the New York Art Book Fair. An amazing store that contains multitudes of worlds in the form of Artist’s books by umpteen thousand Artists and Writers. How do they know where all of them are? I never bother to try to find something- I just ask. Extra credit if you can spot the next book to appear on this list.

-Masahisa Fukase Ravens, MACK. (Pictured almost smack dab in the middle, above, in its grey slip case). Believe the hype. Shot in the aftermath of a divorce, this is an unforgettable masterpiece, one of the great achievements in PhotoBook history in my view. It says 2017 inside. I don’t care. I’m listing it here as a public service announcement. After being first published in 1986, it was out of print for the better part of 30 years! The word is copies are running low. Get it before it goes out of print. Again. I’m listing Ravens, also, to acknowledge MACK’s excellent series of reissues that has seen Alec Soth’s classic Sleeping By The Mississippi and Niagara, among a number of others reissued, making them affordable to students and Photography lovers, again, after long absences that has made them available only at very high prices on the rare book market. Bravo! The next selection is another one…

Paul Graham, center, with Lesley A. Martin of Aperture, left, discuss a shimmer of possibility at its re-release. AIPAD, April 13, 2018.

-Paul Graham, a shimmer of possibility, MACK. Though reissued once before, as a one volume paperback, MACK has finally released the book Paris Photo-Aperture gave their “The Best PhotoBook of the Last 15 Years” award to in 2012, in its original 12 volume format (which sold out in less than 3 months in 2012). A revolution when it was first released, its influenced countless books that have come since. Including a few on this list. Limited edition of 500 hand signed sets.

-Daido Moriyama: Record, Thames & Hudson, A selection from Nos 1-30, beginning in June 1972 of the magazine, Record, that the great Japanese Photographer continues to release to this very day. At age 80, he’s now up to No. 39. When I added them up, Numbers 1-30 would cost a thousand or so dollars, IF you could find them all. This beautiful selection from them sells for about 50.00, and is sure to bring many more eyes to the work of one of the most admired, and influential, living masters of Street Photography.

-Luigi Ghirri- It’s Beautiful Here, Isn’t It… Aperture. With 2008 1st Printings selling for over 300.00 per, my thanks to Aperture for issuing a 2nd printing this year otherwise I would have never seen it! Ghirri’s Kodachrome is the place to start exploring his work (especially in MACK’s gorgeous reissue, which seems to be disappearing), but this is a very nice selection of works from throughout his career. Intro by William Eggleston.  

Roy DeCarava & Langston Hughes- Sweet Flypaper of Life, First Print Press/David Zwirner Books. Roy DeCarava is one of the unsung masters of contemporary Photography, who is quietly undergoing a renaissance that’s seen a few of his books reissued at long last in honor of the Photographer’s 100th birthday in 2019. First published in 1955, it features 141 DeCarava Photographs chosen by Langston Hughes who then supplied an accompanying narrative. His aim, he said, “We have so many books about how bad life is. Maybe it’s time to have one showing how good it is.” It’s that, and more, as it shows life “Uptown” in the mid-1950s in a way unlike that seen in any other book. 

***NoteWorthy Catalog of the Year**

-Sally Mann- A Thousand Crossings. It’s going to be a while before another book coming along surpassing this as a one volume reference/summary/monograph of Ms. Mann’s work to date. Beautiful. Throughout.

-Saul Leiter- All About Saul Leiter– It came out in Japan last year, and has just been released here. I’d still recommend Early Color as the place to start exploring Saul Leiter, but this is an excellent second choice and provides more of a complete sense of the man’s work over his career. With all due respect to his black & white work- Saul Leiter is a supreme Photographic Artist with color and the effects of light, and that is the work of his I will always be drawn to, and there’s a lot of it in this beautiful volume. My look at the recent Saul Leiter: In My Room show and book is here.

-Luigi Ghirri- The Map and the Territory, MACK. Focused on his work from 1970s and 1980s this is a beautiful almost 400 page look at a visionary Photographer, who, was the only name Stephen Shore mentioned when I asked who he felt deserved more attention. He told me Luigi Ghirri was the Artist he used to recommend, before the internet did away with little known Artists. Which brings me to…

***NoteWorthy “Non-PhotoBook” of the Year/ Holiday gift of the Year***

The 3 Stereograph viewing stations, each containing 10 different stereo Photographs of New York, 1974, at the Stephen Shore Retrospective at MoMA, May 23, 2018.

–Stephen Shore, Stereographs, New York, 1974, Aperture. Hey, it counts- its got an ISBN number…and 30 Stereo Photographs! I don’t know how many other visitors to the Stephen Shore Retrospective at MoMA were thinking, “Wow. This is COOL!,” when they sat at one of the 3 stations, each containing 10 of Mr. Shore’s Stereographic Photographs. Well, I was. Now, you can have your own! Hurry. Aperture only produced 400 sets each containing a “Stephen Shore” signature model viewer (cool!) and all 30 of the works seen at MoMA (ditto). Each set includes a card hand signed by Mr. Shore. Don’t sleep on it. I hear they’re going fast. All of those who already own it that I’ve spoken with said they hoped more images would be made available. Hear, hear. My piece on the monumental Stephen Shore Retrospective at MoMA is here. 

Stephen Shore: Stereographs, New York, 1974, published by Aperture.

***PhotoBook Discovery of the Year (Regardless of Publication Date)***

-Lewis Baltz, WORKS, Steidl, 2010. WORKS is THE most extraordinary box set I have yet seen. Period.

When you look at it like this, it could have been called “MONUMENT.” Note- There are two editions of WORKS. Mine is the first edition, 2010. the later WORKS- Last Edition edition adds the subsequent Candlestick Point (2011) and Texts (2013), which they just lay on top of this box. Both of those books are available separately, so you can create your own Last Edition. Their Last Edition also comes with a booklet containing Lewis Baltz’ Last Interview, which, unfortunately, is not available elsewhere.

Since discovering WORKS, Lewis Baltz has become one of the few Artists who have effected the way I see the world, and one of even fewer to effect how I think about what I see. Mr. Baltz passed away in 2014 at 69 and this was a project he worked on when he, apparently, knew the end was coming. The result is that WORKS is the complete 10 volume edition of his Photography as the Artist wanted it to be seen. The care and attention to detail he brought to this edition, matched by Gerhard Steidl and his team, make it the definition of “definitive.” It houses the career work of an Artist who’s work expanded from the so-called “New Topographic” approach to Photography to including how the forces that control man’s uses of the land have extended into virtually every realm of human life. Inside, the entire journey can be taken in one place, where its continuity and interconnectedness can be fully appreciated as it can be nowhere else, in drop-dead beautiful quality printing. Lewis Baltz was an Artist who while producing Art based in what he saw around him created a body of work that, also, warns about where this was (and is) all heading. In my view, this makes him one of the most important Photographers of our time. Each of the 1,000 copies is hand signed by the Artist!

For those not wanting to make the investment in WORKS (currently 600.00 and up), there is the one volume Lewis Baltz– the catalog published in 2017 to accompany the first posthumous retrospective of Mr. Baltz’ work in Madrid, and so another entry for NoteWorthy Catalog, 2018. (It reached me in January, 2018.) The best one volume survey of his work is a great way to get the feel of both his accomplishment and the interconnectedness of the various series he produced, (and yes, they are interrelated). Even more than A Thousand Crossings, it’s very hard for me to see another book surpassing Lewis Baltz as a one volume monograph, especially given its particularly beautiful Steidl production and superb essays by Urs Stahel and, particularly, Artist Walead Beshty.

And so, in my book, there are no “winners,” no “losers” among Artists. ALL Artists who have created a PhotoBook (since that’s what we’re talking about here) this year are Winners in my book! CONGRATULATIONS! Seeing so many books and speaking with so many Artists & publishers has given me a real sense of how hard it is to produce a book today, particularly in this country.

For the rest of us? Get out there, look at some PhotoBooks and see what speaks to you. For me? I look forward to seeing what’s coming next. And? I will be looking for it…

11pm, East 17th Street @ Union Square. It can be a lonely road seeking PhotoBooks in the dead of night, which I actually was. But, wait! “Hey, man. Got any PhotoBooks there I should know about?”

*-Soundtrack for this Post is Impossible Year by Panic! at the Disco from Death of a Bachelor.

My previous pieces on Photography are here.

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  1. Both Ms. de Middel and Vivienne Sassen, mentioned earlier, have come under controversy for their work in, and about, Africa. ↩

The Photography Show: Memorable Meetings, 2018

One of the great things about The Photography Show (aka AIPAD) is beyond the staggering amount of Photographs to be seen, it’s rich in in the presence of Photographers, themselves. In this second Post on The Photography Show, 2018, I’m going to take look at some of those I saw, met and spoke to. Going in, I thought last year’s list of those I met would hard to top- Bruce Davidson, Mike Mandel, Gregory Halpern, Jim Jocoy, Raymond Meeks, Paul Schiek, Tabitha Soren, among others. But, this year’s edition turned out to be equally rich. Here are some highlights.

First, the legendary Elliott Erwitt, a former President of Magnum Photos, still going strong at 89, was on hand to sign “Pittsburgh 1950,” a new release of work unseen these past 68 years at GOST Books-

Elliott Erwitt joined Magnum Photos in 1953 and is still a member. Here, he signs the Special Edition of his book, “Pittsburgh 1950,” which comes with the print seen in the right corner, at GOST Books.

The equally legendary Susan Meiselas,  also a Magnum Photos member (since 1976), was on hand, graciously signing her classic Aperture book, “Nicaragua” for me at Damiani-

Susan Meiselas at the Damiani booth on Thursday

Dayanita Singh signed her newly minted Paris-Photo Aperture PhotoBook of the Year, 2017, “Museum Bhavan,” at Steidl’s table. It consists of a unique box that contains 10 smaller books that the Artist conceived as a portable museum-

Photographer Dayanita Singh, signs “Museum Bhavan,” at Steidl. As you can see, each copy comes in a unique box. The Artist graciously selected one for me she thought was particularly beautiful.

Jungjin Lee signed her beautiful book, “Opening,” at Nazraeli Press-

Jungjin Lee at Nazraeli Press’ booth.

The renowned and influential Paul Graham spoke about his classic 12 volume set, “A Shimmer of Possibility,” then signed the newly released MACK Limited Third Edition-

Paul Graham at MACK Books.

Along with MACK’s third edition of “A Shimmer of Possibility,” the most highly anticipated book release of the show was, perhaps, the debut of TBW Books 4 volume “Annual Series #6,” which resulted in the biggest book release crowd I saw. Last year’s “Annual Series #5,” which featured volumes by Lee Freidlander, Mike Mandel, Bill Burke and the aforedepicted Susan Meiselas, was shortlisted for the Paris-Photo Aperture PhotoBook of the Year, 2017. Both Gregory Halpern (“Confederate Moons”) and Jason Fulford (“Clayton’s Ascent,”) were on hand to sign their two books. Like many others, I was anticipating Mr. Halpern’s first book since “ZZYZX,” which won the Paris-Photo Aperture PhotoBook of the Year for 2016. Would this one, titled “Confederate Moons,” considerably shorter in the making, measure up?  No pressure.

TBW’s “Annual Series #6,” debuting at AIPAD, consists of new books by Guido Guidi, Jason Fulford, Gregory Halpern and Viviane Sassen, from left to right.

He didn’t seem to be worried when I spoke with him, first at MACK’s booth, where he signed “ZZYZX,” and later at TBW Books-

Gregory Halpern was a popular man. First, he was on hand to sign his classic, “ZZYZX” at MACK Books, ..

Then, like a blur, Mr. Halpern was over at TBW Books signing his terrific, new, “Confederate Moons.” Here’ he’s seen behind Artist & Publisher, Jason Fulford, who also has a book in “Annual Series #6,” titled “Clayton’s Ascent.”

I’ve said before that Gregory Halpern’s work speaks to me as much as any Photographer from the younger generations of Photographers I’ve discovered these past 18 months. I now live with his work on my walls. Seeing new work by him was an event for me, the way music lovers look forward to a new album/CD by an Musician or group that inspires them. So, I made a conscious effort to put any resulting bias aside and live with “Confederate Moons” for a week.

The first Photo in “Confederate Moons,” by Gregory Halpern, courtesy of the Artist and TBW Books.

It turned out to be very easy to do. I opened it, was presented by the first image, and just went on the trip from there. There is no text in “Confederate Moons,” beyond the title page and the colophon. The Photographs are not titled or dated. A few days after AIPAD ended, Mr. Halpern posted an “About” on the “Confederate Moons” section of his website. It revealed that “Confederate Moons” is a collection of Photographs taken in North and South Carolina, in August, 2017, the month of the solar eclipse. I find it a beautiful meditation on unity, difference and something that unites everyone, regardless of their location, demographics, beliefs, age, or race- the sun, the source of life. A good many of the Photos are portraits in one way or other, many show the subject looking up.

Photo from “Confederate Moons,” by Gregory Halpern, courtesy of the Artist and TBW Books.

Whereas “epic” is a word I’d use to characterize “ZZYZX”- as in an epic journey filled with epic images.  “Confederate Moons,” strikes me as something of a “love letter” to nature, including humanity, while also serving as a reminder that whatever our differences are, we are united by things like our dependency on the sun. Along with striking images of the eclipse and the darkened world (Mr. Halpern must have been EXTREMELY busy during those very few minutes) there are images of the south and it’s natural beauty and uniqueness, during what I assume may be before and after.

Photo from “Confederate Moons,” by Gregory Halpern, courtesy of the Artist and TBW Books.

It’s easy to make up your own story as you move through it. Or multiple stories. I find it’s enhanced by not having any texts or even titles for the Photographs, though I usually insist on titles (even if it’s “Untitled,” or “No Title”). It’s another extraordinary book, every bit as evocative as “ZZYZX,” though it feels more personal to me. Mr. Halpern mentioned to me that he still believes in the power of a Photograph or a work of Art to change the world. I hope he’s right. I do, too.

At TBW’s Book release, Mr. Halpern was joined by his friend, the accomplished and well-known Photographer & Publisher, Jason Fulford, who’s “Clayton’s Ascent,” is, also, one of the 4 volumes in “Annual Series #6.”

Jason Fulford puts his official stamp, appropriately of two men in a hot air balloon, on his wonderful, new, TBW Book, “Clayton’s Ascent.”

In addition to all of these renowned Artists, there seemed to be more Photographers present in gallery booths, on hand to talk to show goers about their work, something I think is just terrific. As I’ve said in the past, personal contact with an Artist is one of the great joys of buying Art. More often than not, priceless insights, stories and details are shared, which I’m sure help sales, but become cherished memories for both buyers (a sort of verbal/experiential provenance) and visitors.

Stephane Couturier discusses his “Paris 9- ilot Edouard VII- Photo no 10, 1998” at Les Douches la Galerie, Paris’ booth, where Tom Arndt followed discussing his work.

Over the course of the show, I noticed that Stephen Wilkes was on hand over multiple days at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, graciously discussing his monumental landscapes and answering questions from visitors. I know firsthand that he made fans out of some of those who heard and met him.

Stephen Wilkes at Bryce Wolkowitz was on hand for 3 days by my count to discuss his massive, extremely intricate landscapes.

The work Stephen Wilkes is discussing- “Lake Bogoria, Kenya, Day to Night, 2017.” This is a composite of over 1,000 Photographs taken in a single day, from morning to night. The black birds in the front are circling their prospective dinner while the prospective prey gets nervous. Courtesy the Artist and Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery.

Over at Jorg Maass Kunsthandel, all the way from Berlin, Gilles Lorin was also on hand over multiple days to discuss his classical/modern still lifes. As if that wasn’t enough, he also did a terrific job designing the layout of the booth, one of the most beautiful I saw, that, in addition to a wall of Mr. Lorin’s darkly mysterious works also included Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Painter Sean Scully(!), and a marvelous William Eggleston.

Gilles Lorin at Jotg Maass Kunsthandel, Berlin, where he also designed the booth’s layout superbly.

Still-lifes by Giles Lorin at Jorg Maass. One or two struck me as having a small bit of Durer’s “Melencolia.”

Ok. Quick quiz time- What do Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O’Keeffe, JFK, Greta Garbo, Fellini, Jackson Pollock, Elaine and William DeKooning, Grace Kelly, Marcel Duchamp, Giorgio DeChirico, and World War II have in common?

All were Photographed by Mr. Tony Vaccaro.

So, there I was…

Monroe Gallery booth, AIPAD, April 7, 2018

Henri Cartier-Bresson is famous for his Photography, and for the title of his most famous book- “The Decisive Moment,” 1952. It’s a cryptic, mysterious phrase that has become both a mantra for countless Photographers since, and something of a phantom for those seeking “it” in the real world. Adding to the mystery, and magic, of the book, beyond the 126 classic Photos within, is the fact that the original French title of the book translates as “Images on the sly.” Talk about a moving target!

Standing in Sydney Monroe Gallery’s booth on Sunday, April 7th in mid-afternoon, I was faced with the scene above. In front of me sat the living legend, the Dean of Photographers, ninety-six years young, Artist Tony Vaccaro, the subject of an amazing HBO Documentary, “Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro,” enchanting all who came within earshot of him with astounding and unforgettable tales of the classic Photo lining the wall above him. What was I saying about the value of personal contact with the Artist?

I yearned to say “Hello,” to tell him how much I admire his work, and congratulate him on an incredible life…

But? This was my third attempt at doing so.

Flashback. Last year, at 2017’s AIPAD, Mr. Vaccaro was present at Mr. Monroe’s booth, but the crowd was, understandably, unrelenting. This was as close as I got to him-

AIPAD, April 1, 2017. Tony Vaccaro at Monroe Gallery’s booth.

Going into AIPAD, 2018, he was scheduled to appear on Saturday, April 6th. But, delayed in traffic, I missed Mr. Vaccaro’s appearance! Darn! So? I stayed to look at his work on view.

Wall of Photographs by Tony Vaccaro seen at Monroe Gallery’s booth at AIPAD, April 6, 2018.

Before me was a history of much of the 2nd half of the 20th century. On the left, combat Photos taken, literally, in the trenches during World War II! To their right, a gorgeous Photo of the old Penn Station. Next to that, two Photos taken in Europe after the War. Next to that a model wears a hat very similar to the immortal rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in 1960, a year after it opened! Each work was hand titled, numbered and signed by the Artist. And, to the right of that, the amazingly off the cuff Photo of Georgia O’Keeffe seen later.

I mentioned to Mr. Monroe my disappointment at having missed Mr. Vaccaro. “He’ll be back tomorrow afternoon,” he replied. “Really?,” I replied in shock. The third try might be the charm. Returning as soon as I arrived at the show, I was faced with the scene up top. This time, I stood patiently, waiting for the seas to part. Finally, I took a hard swallow. (Hey, I’m a pretty shy guy. It’s hard for me to approach strangers.) I walked forward and grabbed my own “decisive moment.”

Then, all of a sudden, I was face to face with a chance to talk to a legend. He couldn’t have been nicer….more gracious…more welcoming. Wow… I asked him if I could take his Photo. Not only did he agree, he posed, then after I did, he even decided to remove his glasses.

I’ll never forget the next few moments. Though I have already forgotten just how many passed.

After taking the Photo, I asked him about his work. Regarding the one of a kind Photo of Georgia O’Keeffe he was sitting under, he said that he had spent a few days around her and she was not responsive to the idea of being Photographed. That’s understandable. Earlier in her life, Ms. O’Keefe had been the muse of legendary Photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Together, O’Keefe & Stieglitz created a unique, perhaps unequalled body of work, characterized by her haunting, ethereal beauty and a very rare intimacy. But, suddenly, she looked at him through a piece of cheese, and voila! I can’t recall ever seeing one as unguarded as this. The fact that she’s still not smiling, makes it all the more special. She’s only letting the viewer in so far. The cheese is in the way, acting like a shield. Of course, Mr. Vaccaro took other Photos of her, in color, which are now quite famous, but this one is the only one I’ve seen that shows another side of her.

Mr. Vaccaro graciously posing for yours truly under his classic Photo of the greeat Georgia O’Keeffe. I’m amazed you can’t see the camera shake in the Photo.

Next to it, the wonderful Photo of the model in front of the Guggenheim, elicited a question about it from a visitor. “I was there when Frank Lloyd Wight was designing the Guggenheim,” Mr. Vaccaro answered. Wait. What??? Sure enough. I remembered the famous shot, one of my favorites of Frank Lloyd Wright, standing in his work room, with his arms raised and outstretched, standing behind his desk. A spontaneous moment that became something of a “perfect” portrait of the great Architect. Blown away, I had to ask a follow up question. “What was Frank Lloyd Wright like?,” words I never expected to ask any one. “Hard worker. Hard worker,” Mr. Vaccaro said. “What was it like to Photograph him?” “He never told me anything. I told him just go about your work, do what you want to do, and I’ll take the Photographs. And that’s what we did. He never told me anything.” I asked him about his amazing World War II Photographs. He told me he was always able to get film, and he carried a small film developing set with him, with chemicals and small nesting trays that were easy to pack. He developed his film as he used it. As is shown in the Documentary, he went from Normandy to Berlin. “Mrs. Roosevelt was waiting for me when I got to Berlin,” he said. He moved on to the beautiful shot of the “Old Penn Station,” “It was lucky I photographed it. A short time later, they destroyed it. What a shame. What a beautiful building,” he said. I asked him if he had a favorite among the countless Photographs he’s taken. “The G.I. kissing the little girl.(“The Kiss of Liberation”) I think that’s marvelous.The French also thought that was super and they gave me the “Legion of Honor” (in 1994).

“I was there when Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim,” Mr. Vaccaro said. That sound you heard was my jaw hitting the floor.

He mentioned having worked at Life Magazine after the War, and I asked him if he knew Gordon Parks, who would have been at Life at the same time. “Gordon was a good friend of mine,” he recalled. These days, Mr. Vaccaro and his family have the Tony Vaccaro Studio, in Long Island City, where Mr. Vaccaro was headed when he stopped to take the Photo of the “Old” Penn Station, which maintains and manages his archives, as Mr. Vaccaro continues to work. His daughter in law, Maria, who manages sales and the archive was on hand as well. I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful Leica Mr. Vaccaro had around his neck. He told me it was a gift to him from the great German camera maker. Well, you can’t get better advertising than what he’s created with one, that surrounded him on “his wall,” as he called it. Then? He talked about looking forward to his 100th Birthday!

A beautiful Man, and his beautiful Leica.

Right before I bid farewell, Mr. Vaccaro was discussing his work with a couple who promptly made a purchase they’ll never forget. Not privy to the conversation, he leaned back next to me and I heard him say, “I was at the right place at the right time.”

I leaned over and, smiling, said to him,, “Yeah. A LOT of times.”

*- Soundtrack for this Post is “Time In A Bottle,” by Jim Croce (for Sv)-

This Post is dedicated to Susan Meiselas, Paul Graham, Gilles Lorin, Dayanita Singh, Gregory Halpern and, the one and only, Mr. Tony Vaccaro, for their Art, for the beauty of their spirits, and for sharing both, with me, and the world.

The Photography Show/AIPAD, 2018, is my NoteWorthy Show for April.

Once again, for the second year, I’m proud to bring you THE most extensive coverage of The Photography Show anywhere. This is Part 2. The rest is here.

My coverage of The Photography Show, AIPAD, 2017 (including “Memorable Meetings, 2017”) is here, and my prior Posts on Photography are here.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 7 years, during which over 275 full length pieces have been published!
I can no longer fund it myself. More on why here.
If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to keep it online & ad-free below.
Thank you, Kenn.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited.
To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here.
Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them.
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The Photography Show- AIPAD, 2018

There’s no “swim suit” for this vast sea of images. Just dive right in. Arthur Elgort, “Stella Diving, Watermill, Long Island,” 1995, seen at Staley Wise Gallery at The Photography Show. Click any Photo for full size.

The 2018 edition of “The Photography Show,” (commonly called “AIPAD,” the acronym of The Association of International Photography Dealers, the organization that presents it), was a week later than last year’s blockbuster, though much else was the same. I’m not surprised. As I said in the last of the 4 pieces I devoted to 2017’s show, there was little to complain about from this visitor’s perspective, so I very much anticipated this year’s model.

It did not disappoint.

The highlight of the NYC Photo Year beckons. Don’t let the small entrance fool you. A vast show awaits inside.

It returned to the same familiar, cavernous, space known as Pier 94, on the Hudson River, and it reprised many of last year’s popular features, including a Publisher, PhotoBook Dealer & Photography Organizations area, a dedicated “AIPAD Talks” area, a “PhotoBook Spotlight” area, and new this year, an AIPAD Screening Room featured films by Photographers, or relating to Photography.

“Say Cheese.” The view from above right before the opening bell on Thursday at noon. Even a panorama can’t capture the whole of AIPAD.

Though, by my count, there were about 20 fewer dealers than last year (103 vs 123 comparing this year’s guide to 2017’s. AIPAD, itself, reported 96 this year1), given the enormous size of the show, it’s highly unlikely that anyone who didn’t make a count would have realized it- there was still too much to see in one visit. I made four, spending all of Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday exploring it. Still, I’m sure I missed something. 

The Floor Plan.

What I did see impressed me quite a bit. In the next piece, I’ll take a look at highlights. First, here’s an overview.

“Something for everyone,” the show’s Press Release said.

The best thing about AIPAD for me is that nowhere else in NYC all year long can so many very good, great, and even classic Photographs be seen in one place. You would have to spend weeks walking around the city’s galleries and Big Five Museums to come close. But? Even then, you wouldn’t come close. AIPAD provides the opportunity to see what Artists from around the world are doing; to discover new Artists, and to see beautiful examples of classic Photographs, both familiar and known only through books or legend.

f64. Robert Mann, left, stands outside his renowned gallery’s booth, Catherine Edelman Gallery, equally renowned Chicago dealer, right, with Gallery f5.6, Germany, Gallery 19/21 from Conn., further on the left, and the fascinating Legacy of the Black Panthers 50th Anniversary Exhibition further back on the right.

While Aaron Siskind, Alfred Steiglitz, Edward Weston, Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Atget and Kertesz were among the classic Artists being shown at the most booths (per the guide), there was a very impressive amount of lesser known Artists who presented quite strong work, in an extremely wide range of styles and genres– from the literally unknown, like these-

Unknown Artist, “Selection from a Speedway Photograph Portfolio” on display at Harper’s Books booth.

To some of the most famous Photographs ever taken-

Well? Almost. Ansel Adams, “Moonrise Over Hernandez (Cancelled),” 1941, printed circa 1969. This print was created in Ansel Adams’ darkroom on what turned out to be defective Ilfobrom paper. As a result, they were marked “Cancelled” with a machine used in banking and then sent to Ilford to demonstrate the flaws in the paper. Seen at Scott Nichols Gallery.

Great works by revered names…

Henri Cartier-Bresson, “Rue De Bassano, 8th Arrondissement, Paris, 1953” seen at Contemporary Works/Vintage Works.

Sally Mann, “Naptime,” 1989, seen at Edwynn Houk Gallery is the subject of a current retrospective at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Robert Frank, “US 285, New Mexico, 1955,” from his enduring classic PhotoBook, “The Americans.” Seen at Howard Greenberg Gallery.

The Photographs in Painter Ed Ruscha’s “Gasoline Stations Portfolio,” 1962, weren’t even taken as “serious Photography” by the Artist when he took them. 56 years later, they’re some of the most influential Photographs taken since. Seen at Bruce Silverstein.

To surprises from Artists previously seen, like this wonderful wall of work by Jeff Brouws which channels the classic work of Bernd & Hilla Becher…

Jeff Brouws, “Coaling Tower series,” 2013-17, seen at Robert Mann Gallery. Apologies for the glare. Like the Becher’s classic series, Mr. Brouws has Photographed in the same weather and lighting conditions they always used.

To work previously not known to me that impressed…

Gohar Dashti, “Home (series),” 2017, at Robert Klein Gallery

Or…

Omar Imam, “Untitled, 2017 (serene place),” from his powerful “Syrialism” series at Catherine Edelman Gallery.

This year’s show also included special exhibitions, including this one, curated by Sir Elton John, titled “A Time For Reflection”-

Sir Elton John curated this selection from AIPAD member galleries titled “A Time For Reflection.” Included is Gordon Parks’ “American Gothic,” near the right corner, which can be seen in my recent Post about Mr. Parks just concluded shows.

Another special exhibition was “All Power: Visual Legacies of the Black Panther Party,” from the book of the same name, presented by the Photographic Center Northwest, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party’s Seattle chapter.

Installation view of one corner of “All Power.” Work by Robert Wade, Gill Baker, Deborah Willis, and Lewis Watts among those seen here. The words are from Point 7 of the Black Panther Party Platform and Program, 1972.

It featured a very impressive roster of Artists, and I was particularly impressed by the works of LaToya Ruby Frazier’s, including 2 pieces from her poignant “The Grey Area,” about the demolition of the hospital in her home town in spite of efforts, that she was involved in and Photographed, to save it. The work “UPMC Global Corporation, 2011” from her series “The Grey Area,” especially struck me as I have been looking at a lot of work by the so called “New Topographics” Artists Lewis Baltz and Stephen Shore2. This work seems like a culmination of what those Artists were depicting in series like Lewis Baltz’ “New Industrial Parks Near Irving, California,” and “The Tract Houses,” in the 1970s.

LaToya Ruby Frazier, “UPMC Global Corporation, 2011” from her series “The Grey Area,” 2010-12, that documents the demolition of Braddock Hospital in her Pennsylvania home town, which she had been involved in trying to save.

One of the things I look forward to most about AIPAD is the chance to see what galleries from elsewhere in the world bring and display.

see + gallery, Beijing, China, left, Atlas Gallery, London, right, with Laurence Miller Gallery, NYC behind them, and Les filles du calvaire, Paris, France behind on the left.

As they did last year, many showed work completely new to me, and possibly a good many other show goers, like this-

Alfredo Jarr, “The Power of Words,” 1984, at Jean-Kenta Gauthier, Paris, France

Detail.

and this…

Raghu Rai, “A Photographer, The Wall Series, Delhi, 1973,” seen at TASVEER from Karnataka, India

and for the lover of modern vintage prints-

Two gorgeous examples by Eikoh Hosoe, “Ordeal by Roses, #29,” 1962, left and #16, 1961, right. Seen at IBASHO, Japan.

Making the rounds, the first thing that strikes you is the level of seriousness of the work on view. Almost nothing here is frivilous. Given the very significant cost of being here, the travel (some came from down the street, some from, literally, the other side of the world), the logistics, the hours involved in being at AIPAD- every single thing here is something someone significant in the Photography business believes is worthy of being here and being seen along side what everyone else feels should be seen here. So, the show provides fascinating insights into, and a barometer of, what so many leading dealers think about the Photography market and what’s selling, while balancing that with making a statement about the overall identity of their gallery. I find all of this endlessly fascinating. This year there was a distinct absence of the encroachment of “video,” or moving elements incorporated in Photography, which, to my eyes, has thus far come across as gimmicky. I much prefer seeing this-

Made using brand new “technology”… of the 16th century. Abelardo Morell, “Camera Obscura: The Philadelphia Museum of Art East Entrance in Gallery with a de Chirico Painting,” 2005. Light from outside (the exterior of the building) enters the darkened gallery seen above through a small hole, and is “projected” on the opposite wall, where the de Chirico hangs, upside down. At Edwynn Houk Gallery.

As you walk through AIPAD, you’ll find the work that doesn’t hold up to such “company” is in the extreme minority. to the contrary, you’re virtually guaranteed to discover a new Artist of interest you previously didn’t know.

Jean Pagliuso, 4 works from her “Owl” series, at Mary Ryan Gallery. Of course, anyone showing Owls, the Official Bird of NighthawkNYC, let alone these 4 beauties, was bound to catch my eye.

Then, there is the area devoted to Book Dealers, Publishers and Photography based Organizations, including Aperture, which held a steady stream of PhotoBook talks (in the area to the far right, below, with AIPAD Screenings just behind it in the far right corner) throughout the weekend. This area also hosted a steady stream of Booksignings and Book Launches, while also giving book collectors a chance to talk to a number of the world’s leading PhotoBook publishers, from bigger (Steidl, ArtBook DAP, Mack, Damiani, and Nazraeli), to specialty publishers TBW Books and Minor Matters, to Japanese Publishers, Akio Nagasawa and SUPER LABO among a number of others. The organizations also included Light Works, the Photography Collections Preservation Project, and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, who told me that their striking home doesn’t have plumbing!

The front of the Publishing and PhotoBook area. The show is so big, this large section of it isn’t even seen to the left of the panorama posted earlier.

Books have long ago secured their place as essential to Photographers and the world of Photography. In many, even most cases, they are the only way to see the work of the vast majority of Artists. Over time, they have become an “Art-form” unto themselves. For both reasons, it’s only natural, and in my opinion, critical, that they be included in AIPAD. The best PhotoBooks publishers (Gerhard Steidl, Chris Pichler of Nazraeli, Michael Mack of MACK, Paul Schiek of TBW Books, among them) are Artists themselves, either literally, or as bookmakers. The beauty and craft they bring to their work enhances the experience exponentially to the point that it’s an essential part of the experience of the work. In addition to these world-class publishers, intrepid book sellers, like Harper’s Books (who showed a spectacular collection of rare books and collectibles, seen in the center glass case in the Photo above) and Photo-eye (who featured the MASSIVE new Taschen book, “Murals of Tibet,” hand signed by H.H. The Dalai Lama, which starts at $12,000.00) were highlights. But, the “stars” of this area were many of the book booths offered exceedingly rare chances to meet, and have a book signed by, Artists including Susan Meiselas, Elliott Erwitt, Paul Graham, Ralph Gibson, Jungjin Lee, Gregory Halpern, Jason Fulford, and Dayanita Singh, among others.

In assessing the “world of Photography,” since AIPAD is so international in scope- in all of it’s dimensions, I’d be remiss if I didn’t make special mention of the renowned, non-profit, Aperture Foundation, who’s founders include Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, and who celebrated their 65th anniversary in 2017. In my opinion, through everything they do, they are one of the lynchpins of the Photography world. As is well known, they nurture up and coming Photographers who deserve wider attention, publish important PhotoBooks (“Stephen Shore” was one of the very best PhotoBooks I saw in 2017), put on terrific shows (like their recent “Prison Nation”), and publish often terrific limited edition prints by many of the leading lights of both contemporary and classic Photography at exceedingly reasonable prices.

Aperture’s PhotoBook Spotlight, this one featuring legendary Photographer, Paul Graham, center, who discussed his classic book “A Shimmer of Possibility.”

At the show, they ran a steady stream of PhotoBooks spotlights, which included Paul Graham, who’s “A Shimmer of Possibility,” (winner of the Paris Photo-Aperture Prize for the Best PhotoBook of the Last 15 Years in 2012), spoke about it on the debut of MACK’s third edition. In my opinion, everyone involved in Photography owes a debt to the Aperture Foundation, and I hope they support them through buying their books, prints and magazine, or making a donation. That’s my opinion, and no…they didn’t ask me to say that.

Nico Krijno, “Burning Wicker Chair,” 2011, a Huxley Parlour Gallery, London. The South African Photographer’s fascinating work is something I definitely have my eye on.

With so much to see, I strongly advise getting the multi-day ticket. Thursday is my favorite day to go and get acclimated. The weekend crowds haven’t arrived and you can actually talk to the dealers and booth holders and get some of the fascinating backstories behind what they’re showing. Things have a tendency to germinate in my mind overnight. I’ll see something I don’t know, then go home and research it or the Artist, and go back and see it again. Friday and Saturday things were steady and busy throughout, with the weather cooperating this year. Sunday seemed to me to be surprisingly busy. During my rounds on Sunday, within 2-3 hours of closing, most (not all) of the dealers I spoke with said the show was “Good,” or “Very good” for them, and I was surprised by how few expressed a negative sentiment. What this tells me, beyond how successful The Photography Show was (and there is no doubt it was) is that the Photography market remains robust, and signs of a downturn were not to be seen, as far as I could tell. This is good news for the Artists, particularly, as well as the dealers, of course. After it ended, AIPAD reported record attendance numbering over 15,0003.

Lisa Kereszi, “Gold Curtain, Poconos Resort, PA, 2004,” seen at Yancey Richardson Gallery.

As so? I look forward to the curtain going up on The Photography Show, 2019. But, don’t worry- The curtain is not coming down on my AIPAD 2018 coverage…yet. Stay tuned!

*- Soundtrack for this Post is “Take Me To The River,” by the great Al Green, which I actually said to a cab driver on Saturday. It can be seen in an early performance by Talking Heads here.

Uh-oh…Guess who’s back from their Winter Migration…

“On The Fence, #18 – “The Wall Has Eyes” Edition. Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of my fine feathered friends and “On The Fence,” who debuted after AIAD, 2017.

The Photography Show/AIPAD, 2018, is my NoteWorthy Show for April.

Once again, for the second year, I’m proud to bring you THE most extensive coverage of The Photography Show anywhere. The rest of it is here.

My coverage of The Photography Show/AIPAD, 2017 may be seen here.

My previous Posts regarding Photography are here.

My thanks to Margery Newman and Nicole Strauss.

NighthawkNYC.com has been entirely self-funded & ad-free for over 7 years, during which over 275 full length pieces have been published!
I can no longer fund it myself. More on why here.
If you’ve found it worthwhile, PLEASE donate to keep it online & ad-free below.
Thank you, Kenn.

Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited.
To send comments, thoughts, feedback or propositions click here.
Click the white box on the upper right for the archives or to search them.
Subscribe to be notified of new Posts below. Your information will be used for no other purpose.

  1. Press release April 12, 2018 ↩
  2. I’m not putting them in that box. They were part of a show with that title which spawned the term at the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY in 1975. ↩
  3. Ibid ↩