At LensCulture, we’re fortunate to have a global view of contemporary photography, and a community of talented, insightful writers, curators, and interviewers to dig a bit deeper into the various ways people from around the world are using the language of photography to tell stories, express themselves, and share their views of our world.
Here are some of the most popular highlights from 2022 — a mix of new discoveries, photobook reviews, interviews, essays, solo exhibitions and visual stories.
We hope you find some enjoyment and inspiration here, and we wish you the best for the coming year!
Between These Folded Walls, Utopia
Working in collaboration with their protagonists, Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer depict hopeful, powerful “utopian” visions for young women whose lives have been uprooted by forced migration.
Photographs by Cooper & Gorfer. Interview by Liz Sales.
Some Say Ice
In her book “Some Say Ice ”— an eerie portrait of the people, places and animals of the small Midwestern town of Black River Falls — Alessandra Sanguinetti confronts photography’s uneasy relationship to life and death.
Photographs by Alessandra Sanguinetti. Essay by Sophie Wright.
The Blindest Man
Following the trail of an unresolved 30-year long treasure hunt in France, Emily Graham translates the obsession, symbolism and fever-dream determination encircling the ongoing mystery into an equally-enigmatic photobook.
Photographs by Emily Graham. Book review by Joanna L. Cresswell.
Memories through the Liquid Desert Waves
A poetic, photographic meditation on the relentless power of Nature to reclaim its territory — it also poses questions about the mutability of human memory.
Photographs and text by Anamaria Chediak.
A Symphony of Images
Across his lyrical compositions of images, Paul Cupido uses black and white photography as a deeply personal, emotive language to explore the infinite possibilities of our natural surroundings.
Photographs by Paul Cupido. Essay by Sophie Wright.
Batismo
In Gleeson Paulino’s dreamlike series, water serves as an immersive reconnection to his native Brazil, acting as a catalyst of renewal, forgiveness, encounter, and play.
Photographs by Gleeson Paulino. Essay by Magali Duzant.
An Alternative Idea of Intimacy
Jeanette Spicer’s evocative portraits of friends and family play with light and space to challenge viewers to rethink intimacy, representation and relationships.
Photographs by Jeanette Spicer. Interview by Magali Duzant.
Lakeside
Weaving together portraits, landscapes, found objects, and advertising imagery in his new photobook, Shane Rocheleau presents an unsparing view of complicated American history.
Photographs by Shane Rocheleau. Book review by Magali Duzant.
Topographies of Fragility
This Argentinian artist doubles up crumpled and pristine photographs of the same places to create evocative landscapes expressing the fragility of the natural environment.
Photographs and text by Ingrid Weyland.
Excerpts
Making poetry out of her intimate domestic rituals, Ruth Lauer Manenti casts her home in the Catskill Mountains as the main character in “Excerpts,” a slow-burning series on the charged atmosphere of our everyday spaces.
Photographs by Ruth Lauer Manenti. Essay by Joanna L. Cresswell.
Time As We Know It
This intimate portrait series is a tribute to love, and to the demanding and courageous task of growing old gracefully, graciously, and aware.
Photographs and text by Marna Clarke.
In Between Dreams the Forest Echos the Song of the Burning Anaconda
Tatiana Lopez’s lush cyanotype portraits of Sapara women portray the intertwined connections between dreams, body, and nature.
Photographs and artwork by Tatiana Lopez. Essay by Magali Duzant.
While Standing My Ground
Self-portraits from above: an ongoing series of photographs documenting the landscapes of Beirut during the isolation of Covid, catastrophic explosions, and crippling inflation.
Photographs and text by Rima Maroun.
Impossible Installations
Fueling their artistic practice with a deep commitment to innovation, Ukrainian duo Synchrodogs’ latest project takes their dreamlike aesthetic to new terrain through a collaboration with Artificial Intelligence.
Photographs by Synchrodogs (Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven). Interview by Joanna L. Cresswell.