Fotografiska New York, the Manhattan-based photography museum, introduces the launch of The Foto Sessions; a new digital exhibition space created to showcase incredible photography while the world stays at home. In light of COVID-19 events, the museum has temporarily closed its doors, but will continue to spotlight both aspiring and accomplished photographers via the online destination. The content hub will feature virtual galleries, artist interviews and profiles, audio recordings from previous live events, and community photography submissions, all designed to bring the museum and its signature programming into living rooms across the globe.
In addition, the new program, Fotographers (in) Focus will flip the camera on the photographers, framing them as the subjects that provoke and sustain creative curiosity in online video interviews.
“Our doors may be closed, but our family of artists, members and visitors have shown us the spirit of Fotografiska lives far beyond our walls,” says Pam Harris, Executive Director of Fotografiska New York, “Photography is a very powerful medium which communicates beyond language, so we’re doing our best to continue introducing work and highlighting unique perspectives that truly speak to our current state of existence.”
The Foto Sessions will launch with “Disrupting Fatherhood: A Movement Toward Gender Equity,” a photography series from married duo Ariel and Sam Soto-Suver that challenges conceptions of gender around fatherhood on a personal and social level. The digital installation will feature photographs, written accounts from the artists and their subjects, and an audio recording of a recent panel discussion between the photographers, along with Lance Somerfeld (Founder of City Dads Group) and Anne Meadows (Visuals Editor at Fatherly), which took place at Fotografiska in early March. The project has been augmented in recent weeks to include visual and audio updates from the photographers regarding their experience sheltering in place in the Bay Area.
In addition to “Disrupting Fatherhood,” The Foto Sessions will also include artwork and editorial from “New Visions,” an exhibition in partnership with VICE Media Group showcasing 14 inspiring, emerging artists from around the world. Informed by personal experiences and underrepresented narratives, the work demonstrates what VICE and Fotografiska consider to be the vanguard of photography. Collectively, the exhibition affirms the discipline’s capacity to foster new understandings of identity, put forth nuanced critiques of the world around us, and find power in play and vulnerability. Artists featured are Cristina Bartley Dominguez, Eui-Jip Hwang, June Canedo, Laurence Philomene, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Matthew Morrocco, Noma Osula, Sasha Phyars-Burgess, Silvia Grav, Stefanie Moshammer, Tamara Abdul Hadi, Texas Isaiah, Yuan Yao, and Zhongjia Sun.
The Foto Sessions is also launching as a platform for “Stop Motion,” a social media campaign calling for community-submitted photos, videos and GIFs documenting individual experiences with isolation and social distancing. Each week, Fotografiska New York followers will be prompted to respond visually to new themes, and the best photography will be shared online and be considered for a future museum installation.
Fotographers (in) Focus is a behind-the-lens video and photo project, asking photographers currently exhibiting at Fotografiska to tell more about their process, and what they have been working on during the pandemic.
Above, the project takes an in-depth look at the work of Matthew Morrocco, one of the featured artists in New Visions, a partnership exhibition with VICE Media Group. Morrocco’s work often plays with the process of photography through complex portraiture. He has tackled topics as varied as social media and cross-generational romance, and consistently uses mirrors and clever framing to draw attention to the process of image-making and the role of the photographer. In this video, we get a glimpse of his project, Orchid, and the heart of its concept: abstraction.~ “when public place becomes a dangerous place.”
Above, an intimate view of Tawny Chatmon’s home life, as she takes care of her children, develops new work, and shares how she is keeping creative and inspired during social distancing. Tawny’s Inheritance was one of the inaugural exhibitions which opened at Fotografiska New York in December 2019, and explores the beauty of black childhood through large, framed portraits embellished with gold leaf and paint ornamentation.
Fotographers (in) Focus continues below with Ellen von Unwerth.
Prior to the pandemic, fashion photographer and director Ellen von Unwerth was constantly traveling around the world for fashion weeks, photo shoots and events. Now during social distancing, she’s enjoying the slower pace of life in the French countryside. Immersed in nature and drawing inspiration from it, von Unwerth offers an uplifting perspective on her life and work, as she reflects on her current exhibition at Fotografiska New York, Devotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women. View video Here.
Step into ‘A Drop of Midnight‘ ~ Jason ‘Timbuktu’ Diakité in conversation with Chef and restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson.
Award-winning Hip-Hop artist and best-selling author Jason ‘Timbuktu’ Diakité, along with chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson, discuss the U.S. release of Jason’s memoir: A Drop of Midnight. The conversation took place on March 3rd, 2020 at Fotografiska New York.
Even after his hip-hop career took off – including 8 solo albums, 8 Swedish Grammy awards, and numerous awards for his artistry and stance against racism – Jason fought to unify a complex system of family roots that branched across continents, ethnicities, classes, and eras. The journey to find a sense of belonging inspired his memoir, A Drop of Midnight. Listen to the 7-part audio series and discover Jason’s remarkable voyage ~ Here.
Get a rare glimpse into the making of Julie Blackmon’s Homegrown series (below).
In this video, Blackmon details the story behind Fake Weather, a playfully staged scene inspired by the hotter than normal winter in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri during the time when the term “fake news” found its way into the mainstream. Before she knew it, Blackmon found herself with 90 gallons of fake snow and her nieces ready to enjoy the icy scene. Fake Weather also comments on the increasing temperatures during winter months due to climate change. Fake Weather, along with additional work from Blackmon’s Homegrown series, are included in the current exhibition Fever Dreams at Fotografiska New York.
Fotografiska New York will continue to release new content on The Foto Sessions every week. Stay tuned for more information and updates in the days to come.
“Normal” daily life is on hold. While it’s human nature to congregate in challenging times, this is the one action we cannot take. Our current circumstances require us to distance ourselves, to isolate, to stop motion. Take a look at Stopmotion, a beautiful community project by Fotografiska.
Get Ready for the 2020 Aperture Summer Open!
The Aperture Summer Open is an annual open-submission exhibition presented by Fotografiska New York, featuring a wide variety of work by photographers and lens-based artists from around the world. Selected by a jury of leading editors, curators, and writers, the exhibition seeks to reveal and report on key themes and trends driving contemporary photography. The exhibition opens the doors to photographers of all ages, at all points in their careers, as we seek to promote new ideas and talent. Submit Now through April 29th.
In addition, Fotografiska New York has teamed up with United Nations Human Rights and David Clark Cause for the annual ‘Photography 4 Humanity’ global prize competition and exhibition ~ Here.