In the cultural epicenter of New York, Gagosian is honored to unveil “Richard Prince: Early Photography, 1977–87.” This exhibition, previously shown in London, revisits the formative decade of Prince’s oeuvre This comprehensive showcase delves into more than eighty of Prince’s seminal works, including pieces from his renowned cowboy, girlfriend, and advertisement series, alongside pieces previously unrevealed in this metropolis.

The Entertainers: A Reflection of Time and Place

A focal point of the exhibition is ‘The Entertainers’ series from 1982–83, featuring a compelling set of manipulated photographs set against the backdrop of Times Square’s nocturnal vibrancy. This series captures the raw, untamed spirit and the so-called ‘sleazy glamour’ of the era, spotlighting Prince’s adeptness at encapsulating the zeitgeist through his lens.

Rephotography: A Philosophical Undertaking

Prince’s innovative engagement with rephotography in the late ’70s and early ’80s marked a pivotal shift in the discourse on authorship and originality. His strategic appropriation and recontextualization of existing images, including notable works like “Untitled (Self-Portrait)” (1980) and “Untitled (Cowboy)” (1980–84), challenge the viewer to reconsider the boundaries between creation and compilation. Prince’s method, devoid of the ‘decisive moment,’ reinvents the narrative potency of the photographic image.

A Legacy Unveiled

This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into Prince’s creative sanctum, showcasing an array of archival materials and writings that illuminate his conceptual and methodological rigor. Noteworthy is the inclusion of source materials from his tenure in the tear-sheet department at Time magazine, offering an unprecedented glimpse into his artistic genesis.

Cultural Chronicles and Thematic Explorations

Prince’s work serves as a cultural chronicle, weaving together strands of American vernaculars and subcultures to interrogate the construction of national identity. Through his exploration of themes such as alienation, masculinity, and the celebrity-infamy dichotomy, as seen in works like “Criminals and Celebrities” (1986) and “Untitled (Fainted)” (1980), Prince invites a discourse on the representational power of photography.

An Invitation to the Vanguard

“Richard Prince: Early Photography, 1977–87” is more than an exhibition; it’s an odyssey through the transformative years of a visionary artist. Having graced Gagosian’s London locations in Davies Street and Grosvenor Hill in 2023, this exhibition now invites New York audiences to traverse the evolving landscape of art through Prince’s pioneering lens. Gagosian extends a warm invitation to both connoisseurs and newcomers to immerse themselves in the narrative of an art form reborn under Prince’s evocative gaze.

RICHARD PRINCE
Early Photography, 1977–87
March 9–April 13, 2024
522 West 21st Street, New York

Determined to preserve the Ukrainian town’s memories amidst the ruins, Alia O intricately embroiders her photographs, capturing the essence of a once-thriving community.

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The eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar was once a thriving hot spot, boasting Europe’s largest salt deposits and a population exceeding 10,000.

But the tranquility of this town was shattered two years ago by the invasion of Russian forces, resulting in widespread destruction and depopulation. Since January 2023, the ruins of Soledar and its surroundings have been under Russian occupation.

Prior to the invasion, Alia O, a Ukrainian artist based in France, with a background in international affairs and war reporting journalism, carried out an art residency in Soledar.

Her intention was to capture the town’s essence, its rich history, and the lives of its inhabitants. The project, titled “Not sure how anyone else does it” has since evolved into a powerful reminder of what has been lost.

“I am convinced that everybody who is separated from their home in Bakhmut, Soledar, and Kherson carry every inch of their native place inside them. Even when the photographs are lost in the fire, our consciousness goes back to those memorable anchors,” states Alia O.  

Her artistic approach involves meticulously stitching colourful embroidery onto her own photographs.

“I intuitively create the embroidery, drawing from my emotions and impressions of the place and weaving together the stories I wish to convey – memories of a future that is gone.”

Remarkably, Alia O captured her photographs through the prism of salt crystals, a unique perspective that mirrors the experiences of the people of Soledar.

“Every person I met would give me a salt crystal as a souvenir. So I thought I would also see the world through people from Soledar looking through salt. I took one of those crystals I was given and I started taking pictures through it. The town was flooded with them. It worked metaphorically for how people see life here”.

Alia O says: “These works are created in constant dialogue with the deepest memories of places, transformative hopes, life-changing meetings, and everything that constitutes the peaceful life we lost.”

The New York Times demanded Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cease making claims that one of their freelance photographers had connections to Hamas and knew about the October 7 attack on Israel in advance.

In a scathing letter written to the Israeli Consulate General in New York by the Times’s deputy general counsel David McCraw, he accused Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of making “provably false” claims about the photographer, Yousef Masoud.

The letter came after Masoud won a Polk award alongside another freelancer for the Times, Samar Abu Elouf, for photojournalism. In response to the award, a spokesperson for Israeli Consulate General in New York sent a letter to the George Polk committee claiming ties between Masoud and Hamas.

The spokesman, Itay Milner, claimed Masoud had “public connections to Hamas and well-documented foreknowledge of the terror group’s plans for invasion mortally compromise the integrity of his reporting.”

The Times fired back at those allegations, which McCraw called a “fabrication,” in his letter on Saturday. McCraw noted that the claims about Masoud “can be traced back to the reckless posting by the advocacy group Honest Reporting,” and pointed out that the head of the group later said his claims were speculation.

According to the letter:

I have written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past to ask that the Ministry cease perpetrating the provably false claim that the freelance photographer Yousef Masoud was embedded with Hamas terrorists on October 7. He was not. Yet your recent letter to the administrators of the Polk Awards once again repeats that falsehood. You do a disservice to your office and to the public by joining in what is nothing more than a smear campaign.

The false accusations against Mr. Masoud can be traced back to the reckless posting by the advocacy group Honest Reporting that insinuated — without any evidence — that Mr. Masoud, a freelance photographer who has done work for The New York Times, may have had prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack.

The basis for Honest Reporting’s claim is a fabrication: that Mr. Masoud began shooting pictures at 5:30 a.m. when the attack began an hour later. Wrong. Mr. Masoud, we know from the photographic evidence, began shooting photographs after 6:30 a.m. – from his home’s rooftop with the fighting visible in the distance – when the noise of combat awoke him.

Let me be clear again: the accusation that anyone associated with The Times had advance knowledge of the attack or was embedded with Hamas terrorists at any time is simply false. Mr. Masoud was not even working for The Times on October 7. But even if that were not so, there is no credible evidence that Mr. Masoud was somehow complicit in the attack.

McCraw continued that the “attacks” on the photographer are a threat to the press more broadly:

These attacks on Mr. Masoud are an attack not just on The New York Times but on photojournalists who are doing essential work in conflict areas. They put their lives at risk daily, working under conditions that often require them to rush into danger to bear witness and document important events. The world came to know more fully the horror of what happened to innocent Israelis that day as a result of such journalists’ work. Being a witness to such events is one of the essential roles of a free press in wartime. Yet, by adopting and perpetuating unsupported accusations of criminal behavior against journalists, you not only endanger them but undermine the journalistic work that the world depends on to understand the realities of the war.

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I made a TikTok after months of being nagged by my friends and colleagues. There’s a ton of behind-the-scenes content that I am slowly uploading there. Sometimes, at about 3 in the morning when I finish my work and get slightly depressed, I go on TikTok and scroll through videos tagged #photography. While this won’t be an article targeting TikTok photographers, or an article shaming people for following trends, it will be an article discussing what trends there are now, and what’s possibly dangerous with them.

The Upgrade Wave

The trend that has been consistent since day one is the upgrade trend. Photographers seem to be insatiable when it comes to what gear they have and what they could have. I am one of them, frankly. While my upgrades are slightly odd, they are very much in line with the trend. A few weeks ago, I decided I want to own a medium-format system. A quick search online revealed some really juicy options when it comes to this: namely, a fantastic camera going for EUR 4,500. I would get an XF body, 80mm blue ring lens, and an IQ250 back. While I am the first one to shout that what you have is enough, and you can shoot on a 5D Mark II without a noticeable problem, I am also the first one to go and try to justify an upgrade to a medium-format system.

Other photographers may not be looking to upgrade to a Phase One, but they will be looking at things such as the new global-shutter Sony, or any of the new mirrorless cameras. The upgrade seems like the next best thing that will unlock new possibilities that your current camera doesn’t offer. This trend is perpetuated by camera reviews, marketing material, and the inner feeling of not having enough. Let me ask you (and myself) this: When was the last time your clients said that your camera is not enough? I’ll be the first one to say never. My clientele is fully satisfied with the still images I deliver. They might be unhappy with the lighting or the visual direction, but never the files themselves. Even a Canon 5Ds is overkill, frankly. I could do my work on a 5D Mark II and nobody would bat an eyelid. The requirements for delivering stills have largely not changed. You will know when you need a better camera. Unless you are doing some mad fast action photography, what you currently have is more than enough, assuming your camera is made later than 2010.

Lenses are a bit of a tricky one, but largely the same principle applies. Take me as an example. For now, I am shooting on a Canon 5Ds with either a 50mm f/1.4 or a 24-70mm f/2.8 generation 1 lens. Sure, maybe in a few months, I will be stupid enough to buy a Phase One, but 95% of my work has been done on that 5Ds and a 24-70mm f/2.8 that can’t resolve enough detail. That setup alone has been more than plenty to do 99% of my jobs, and when it wasn’t enough, I either rented a Phase One or shot on my 5D Mark IV due to faster burst speed. Sharpness is a bourgeois concept. You can fully get away by shooting on mid-range EF lenses, which have become super cheap now. The reduced flange distance and improved sharpness are really nothing to lose your mind over. It is tempting to buy it, seeing that every cool photographer shoots on it now. However, if you look beyond YouTube and find real working pros, chances are they will be rocking the old EF glass, which is enough.

Visual Style Trends

The other trend that I keep seeing pop up is the visual style trend. This is a useful trend, as knowing what’s in and what’s out can help you a lot to build a viable portfolio, but you still should be careful with what you shoot and how you shoot it. The main thing is that you need to have the foundation of your style down before adjusting it to the trends. Moreover, your visual style will be relevant if you are taking the right references in. What do I mean by that? This is all assuming you are looking to make money with your photography in the commercial market. The right references would be looking at websites such as Creative Review, or reading the British Journal of Photography. The wrong references would be whatever “commercial” means on social media. If there’s a photographer showing how they did a commercial, chances are they were never hired to do the actual shoot. If it’s behind the scenes of an actual commercial, it will be shared on the page of the brand, or on the page of the photographer, and the same still will also be on the Instagram of the team that worked on that production. However, most commercials are kept under wraps, as sharing behind the scenes would immediately mean that competing brands can copy the style, which harms the photographer. There are strict rules about this. I don’t allow sharing behind the scenes from my shoots for those reasons. My work has been copied, even without behind-the-scenes, so if I give away my actual setups, I will find myself being booked less. Copying is a real problem, and my clients care about their visuals being authentic. But I digress.

There are a few visual trends that you should be aware of. The most important one is the trend for slightly imperfect photography. In 2024, any kid with a phone can produce a nice soft light. Most makeup artists have a ring light and can do a fantastic job at getting a good picture. The knowledge of how to set up a softbox is not unique to you, like it was a decade ago. Most campaigns have left this style of lighting as well. For example, if you look at the latest Schiaparelli campaign, you will find that they are using direct hard light. This is the nostalgia for the pictures from point-and-shoot cameras that is coming into play. The ’90s style of very simple photography is popular now. What this means for you is that you need to have images that represent that time period. The greatest thing is that you don’t need to replicate the style to the pixel; you need to have some elements of it. One such element could be that you use direct flash, or hard light in some form. Perhaps the composition of your image is nostalgic of that period. Just look at what’s going on with wedding photography now: clients are asking for pictures reminiscent of ’90s photography. Soft light and gorgeous tones are no longer popular. Clients want a black and white picture with head-on flash.

Of course, I can’t discuss all of the trends in photography in 2024 in one article. The article would be simply too long to read. But you know the ones to avoid and the ones to follow, in your own way. To close off, I will say that I will probably get a medium-format system at some point, despite it having no effect on the number of jobs I am getting. Why? Well, that’s best saved for another article.