The book, “Welcome to The Salon” is a collection of photographic works from a collective of image makers led by Lynch, known as The Salon. Lynch said the idea for the book came up in Paris.

“The idea for the book was born in Paris during a dinner conversation with two of The Salon members, Pamela Fox and Lee Isles,” Lynch said. “We were there for Paris Photo, the international photography fair, which also includes a strong presence from photography and art book publishers. Lee was thinking about starting a book and music publishing company and suggested that a book of The Salon’s work could be the inaugural publication. We started working on it as soon as we returned.”

“Welcome to the Salon” includes an essay by Lynch and works from Lynch and her students at the International Center of Photography in New York City over the last decade. Artists whose works are printed in the book include; Irina Chaiet, Anastasia Davis, Pamela Fox, Lee Isles, Chloe Jones, Tom Klem, Andrew Rizzardi, and Michael Wilson.

The book is made up of different types of prints and photographs.

Janelle Lynch in front of Metamorphosis X, 2023, a unique cyanotype. The exhibition was at Foley Gallery in collaboration with Flowers Gallery.

“There are five of my cyanotypes, and lumen prints, black and white and color photographs made by other artists that explore notions about perception, the metaphysical in nature, family history and the cycle of life,” Lynch said.

Exhibitions often go with book launches, so when the group had an approximate publication date, Lynch said she started thinking about curating the exhibition. The planned exhibition will include images from the book, along with images that the artists have made since 2021, and two cyanotypes from Lynch’s spring exhibition, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”.

Lynch said her spring exhibition was a great success and well received by the public.

“Martin Barnes, Senior Curator, Photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London wrote a beautiful essay about the work, which is available with installation shots of the show and links to all reviews on Flowers’ website,” Lynch said. “During the show, the documentary short film, ‘Janelle Lynch: Endless Forms Most Beautiful’, premiered at the gallery. It was directed, filmed, and edited by Mia Allen, produced by PlantPop, and has an original score by Yehezkel Raz. The film is about the making of ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’ and includes footage in Amagansett, NY and interviews there and in my home studio.”

A pop-up exhibition opening reception and book launch of “Welcome to The Salon” will be held on Sept. 13 at Foley Gallery in New York City. The exhibition will run through Sept. 17.

Janelle Lynch in front of Metamorphosis X, 2023, a unique cyanotype. The exhibition was at Foley Gallery in collaboration with Flowers Gallery.

Lynch has two works included in the show, one that has been included in a previous show and one that has not.

“I have two works in ‘Welcome to The Salon’, one piece that I did show in London – Metamorphosis X, 2023 and one piece that hasn’t yet been shown, Metamorphosis II, 2022,” Lynch said. “Both are cyanotypes that include my body and fallen botanicals in my quest to connect to the natural and spiritual worlds.”

Lynch said that the group show includes work by nine of her former students. Some use photography to connect with the interior and exterior of other worlds. Others use black and white work concerned with feeling, perception and consciousness, while others use color images from the Bolivian salt flats that transcend place and offer an experience of the sublime.

Lynch said the work of the other artists in the show focus on the metaphysical, the universe, realms known and unknown, identity, intergenerational family ties, and notions of home. Other works examine changes and loss, myth making and kin, and themes of maternal love, aging and impermanence, and the evolving nature of masculinity, devotion, hope and sorrow.

Lynch said her group, The Salon, meets weekly for discussion and often invite guest artists to the meeting.

“The Salon meets weekly for discussion about the creative process, literary texts, cultural references, and for constructive feedback about their images,” Lynch said. “Guest artists are invited to present their work once per month. The ideas and aesthetic values shared in The Salon have had enduring implications. As a result of sustained camaraderie and critical dialogue, the artists’ practices have evolved and a coherence in their work has, unexpectedly, emerged as evidenced – and celebrated – in ‘Welcome to The Salon’.”

“Welcome to the Salon” is available on Tonal Edition’s website, www.tonaleditions.com/product/welcome-to-the-salon/3. The publishing company Tonal Editions was founded in 2023 by Lee Isles in Vermont. For more information on Lynch’s past exhibit, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” visit https://www.flowersgallery.com/exhibitions/564-janelle-lynch-endless-forms-most-beautiful/, and more information on the documentary can be found at https://janellelynchdoc.com/. United States screenings of the documentary are planned for 2024.