Nan Goldin: Why The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is So Important

nan goldin the ballad of sexual dependency why so important

Gagosian London is hosting an exhibition of all 126 photographs from Nan Goldin’s seminal work, "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency," to mark the 40th anniversary of the photobook's publication. The exhibition traces the evolution of the project from its origins as a DIY slideshow performance in New York nightclubs to its status as a cornerstone of contemporary photography, featuring intimate portraits of Goldin’s inner circle across New York, Berlin, and beyond.

Can Art Feel?

Hyperallergic's newsletter explores the question of whether artworks can possess personhood, drawing on Lisa Siraganian's essay that references the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision and Pierre Huyghe's uncanny human statues. Other featured pieces include Ed Simon's review of Elizabeth Goldring's new book on Hans Holbein the Younger, Michael Glover's introduction to George Stubbs's equine portraits at the National Gallery in London, and news of a historic $116M gift to the National Gallery of Art for an artwork lending program. The newsletter also covers Byron Kim's exhibition at James Cohan Gallery, the new V&A East museum in London, and obituaries for Desmond Morris, James Hayward, and Flo Oy Wong.

martin parr dead photographer magnum

Martin Parr, the acclaimed British photographer known for his wry, colorful images of tourists and leisure culture, died on December 6 at his home in Bristol, England, at age 73. His death was announced by the Martin Parr Foundation, which noted he had been diagnosed with myeloma in 2021. Parr was a longtime member of Magnum Photos and published countless photobooks, shot fashion campaigns for Vogue and Gucci, and created iconic series such as "The Last Resort" (1983–85) and "Small World" (1987–94). A retrospective themed around climate change and overtourism is planned for 2025 at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

art paris photo fair elle perez diary parties

The article is a first-person diary by artist Elle Pérez, chronicling their experience at Paris Photo 2024. Pérez describes the fair as the art world's best-kept secret, noting its uniquely fun and intergenerational atmosphere where artists and curators genuinely enjoy gathering. The diary covers a week of events including book meetings with Aperture, dinners with photographers, and the main fair at the Grand Palais, highlighting the camaraderie and joy of being together despite the anxieties facing photographers today.

art sophie calle interview juergen teller

Cultured magazine publishes an interview with French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, conducted by a journalist who navigates Calle's characteristic conditions for the conversation. The article recounts the process of securing the interview—including a preliminary phone call from Calle to set rules—and describes Calle's home in the South of France, her tan arms, black sleeveless top, and signature glasses. The journalist references Calle's early photobooks published by Siglio, her "Unfinished" series displayed at the Musée Picasso in Paris (2023–24), and her project "The Address Book," which involved interviewing acquaintances of a stranger whose address book she found on the streets of Paris. The interview also touches on a companion catalog of moldy works after a flood in Calle's storage space, and a large photograph of dried flowers from architect Frank Gehry.

May You Live in Less Interesting Times

The international jury for the Venice Biennale has collectively resigned just before the press preview, following their announcement that countries accused of crimes against humanity—specifically Israel and Russia—would be excluded from award consideration. The jurors did not provide an explicit reason for their resignation. Meanwhile, Russia's return to the 61st Venice Biennale will involve workarounds to comply with international sanctions, including restricted pavilion access. The article also highlights a widely-read essay by Hakan Topal on the financialization and 'administrification' of American art schools and academia.

‘Tracey Emin said they’re all about death’: Johnnie Shand Kydd on his dog-walk photographs – and capturing the hard-partying YBAs

Johnnie Shand Kydd, a former art dealer turned photographer, reflects on his intimate black-and-white photographs of the Young British Artists (YBAs) in the 1990s, capturing figures like Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, and Sarah Lucas in candid, hedonistic moments rather than traditional studio portraits. Now 66, Shand Kydd has a new exhibition titled 'Ramsholt' at Emin's gallery in Margate, featuring photographs from his dog-walking route, which will also be published as a photobook.

You can spray that again! New York drenched in colour – in pictures

The Guardian published a photo essay featuring Harry Gruyaert's vibrant street photography of New York City, spanning over 50 years. The Belgian Magnum photographer captures the city's energy through bold color and candid moments—children playing in fire hydrants, yellow cabs, neon-lit diners, and diverse neighborhoods. The images are accompanied by text from French filmmaker Cédric Klapisch, who provides fictional vignettes that blur reality and imagination.

And We Shall Go Through Their Hills Without Much Delay

This article documents three journeys into and out of Yunnan, China, spanning from 1874 to 2023. It begins with British interpreter Augustus Raymond Margary's failed colonial expedition to establish a trade route, which ended in his violent death and contributed to unequal treaties opening Southwest China. It then follows a Naxi student named Xueshan in 1937, whose railway journey introduced modern timekeeping to the region, and finally describes the construction of the Burma Road, a critical WWII supply route. The narrative concludes with the artist Cheng Xinhao retracing these routes on foot from Kunming toward Burma over a year and a half, reflecting on history, bodily experience, and the layers of infrastructure that have reshaped the landscape.

Fotografia Europea returns to Reggio Emilia. Program, appointments, hundreds of widespread exhibitions

A Reggio Emilia torna la grande rassegna Fotografia Europea. Programma, appuntamenti, centinaia di mostre diffuse

Fotografia Europea, the major photography festival in Reggio Emilia, returns for its 21st edition from April 30 to June 14, 2026, under the theme "Fantasmi del quotidiano" (Ghosts of the Everyday). The official circuit features twenty exhibitions across historic venues such as Chiostri di San Pietro, Palazzo da Mosto, and Palazzo dei Musei, as well as modern spaces like Spazio Gerra and Collezione Maramotti. Highlights include works by Felipe Romero Beltrán (winner of the KBr Photo Award 2025), Mohamed Hassan, Salvatore Vitale, Marine Lanier, Ola Rindal, Tania Franco Klein, Giulia Vanelli, Frédéric D. Oberland, and Simona Ghizzoni, with curatorial contributions from Tim Clark and Luce Lebart. Over three hundred off-circuit exhibitions will also be held throughout the city.

Book Club

The Art Newspaper's Book Club section features multiple articles about new art books and related exhibitions. One article explores how different artists have depicted Marilyn Monroe, ahead of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Another piece examines a little-known New York gallery that brought Modern art to America, exhibiting artists like Picasso and Mondrian. Additional stories cover Martin Parr's photobook 'The Last Resort' on its 40th anniversary, a history of how artists depict the female body by author Amy Dempsey, and a collaboration between author Olivia Laing and painter Chantal Joffe.

Lee ShinJa's Handwoven Portals

Hyperallergic profiles the work of South Korean textile artist Lee ShinJa, whose handwoven artworks are described as 'portals' that bridge traditional craft and contemporary abstraction. The article highlights her use of traditional Korean weaving techniques to create layered, ethereal pieces that evoke both physical and metaphysical spaces.

The International Center of Photography Presents Photobook Fest

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is hosting its fifth annual Photobook Fest from May 8–10 at its Lower East Side campus in Manhattan. The event will feature over 80 international publishers, with a schedule of workshops, panels, and book signings.

In pictures: meet the ghosts of the US’s East Coast

Photographer Anastasia Samoylova presents her latest exhibition and photobook, "Atlantic Coast," at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. The project documents a road trip along the old US Route 1 on the East Coast, inspired by Berenice Abbott's 1954 journey. Through her lens, Samoylova captures a country in transition, juxtaposing decaying Americana with modern structures and political commentary, including images of a statue of John C. Calhoun being removed after the George Floyd protests and the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. She draws parallels between her work and Paul Thomas Anderson's film "One Battle After Another," both centering on road trips and shared anxieties.

Daegu Photo Biennale tackles the Anthropocene

The Daegu Photo Biennale in South Korea, now in its 10th edition, tackles the Anthropocene through the lens of symbiosis, featuring three main exhibitions: 'The Pulse of Life', 'The Origin of the World', and a solo show by Rinko Kawauchi titled 'M/E On this Sphere Endlessly Interlinking'. Artistic director Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais, a former curator at Centre Pompidou and Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, leads the biennale, which includes 80 artists in the main exhibition and 75 in the special exhibition, alongside emerging artist showcases, a symposium, a photobook exhibition, and a portfolio review, all spread across 4,000 square meters at the Daegu Culture and Arts Center.

"Uber Life": The powerful photographic narrative of Tassiana Aït-Tahar, the delivery driver turned artist

« Uber Life » : le récit photographique percutant de Tassiana Aït-Tahar, livreuse devenue artiste

Tassiana Aït-Tahar, a student at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and former delivery rider, has released "Uber Life," a hybrid photobook and sociological inquiry published by Fisheye Éditions. The project documents her five years working for Uber Eats, combining raw photography, screenshots of delivery apps, and personal journals to chronicle the grueling reality of the gig economy. Encouraged by mentors like the artist JR, Aït-Tahar transitioned from documenting her daily survival to presenting a formal artistic narrative that was previously showcased at the Centquatre in 2022.

Did This Photographer’s Provocative Work Inspire a Key Plot Point in The Drama?

The new film *The Drama*, directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, features a central plot point involving a fictional photobook titled *Brainrot*. In the movie, Pattinson’s character, a museum curator, becomes obsessed with the book's provocative imagery of young women with firearms after learning of his fiancée’s past violent intentions. While *Brainrot* is a fictional creation, its aesthetic and subject matter draw significant parallels to Lindsay McCrum’s 2011 photography book, *Chicks with Guns*, which documented the diverse demographics of female gun owners in America.

A Guide To April 2026 Photo Awards & Open Calls

A curated selection of international photography awards, scholarships, and open calls has been announced for April 2026. Key opportunities include the PhMuseum Online Masterclasses scholarships, which offer fully-funded spots for artistic development and documentary photography, and the PhMuseum Days Photography Festival open call for exhibitions in Bologna, Italy. Additionally, the Hasselblad Foundation is offering significant grants to support the publication of new photobooks by professionals in the field.

‘A constant quiet terror’: Getting lost in Irish folklore – in pictures

Maria Lax's photobook *Stray Sod* draws on Irish folklore and archival accounts from the Irish National Archives to explore the phenomenon of the 'stray sod'—enchanted patches of earth said to disorient and lead travelers astray, especially at night. Her images reimagine rural Irish landscapes as sites of sudden confusion, where familiar landmarks vanish and fog or mist descends, evoking a sense of 'constant quiet terror'.

Dolce Vita is Over

Dolce Vita war gestern

Andrea Modica's new photobook "Italian Story" collects four decades of photographs taken in Italy, beginning with her first trip there in the late 1980s. Born in 1960 to a family with roots in Sicily and Naples, Modica received a Fulbright scholarship to travel to Sicily and photograph the origins of the Catholic imagery, gender roles, and family structures she experienced growing up in New York. The book, however, is not a documentary of her heritage; instead, it presents dreamlike, surreal images—motionless bodies in water, dead fish, figures behind mosquito nets, Madonna statues—that resist clear narrative or identity politics. Modica works with an 8x10 large-format analog camera and prints using the historic platinum-palladium process, giving the images a timeless, collaborative quality.

An Argentine artist inaugurates a brand-new space dedicated to photography in Turin

Un artista argentino inaugura a Torino le attività di un nuovissimo spazio dedicato alla fotografia

A new photography space called K! has opened in Turin's San Salvario district, inaugurated by Argentine artist Emilio Nasser with his exhibition "La Cornuda de Tlacotalpan." The space is the latest curatorial project of the Kublaiklan collective (Rica Cerbarano, Francesco Colombelli, Elsa Moro, Aleksander Masseroli Mazurkiewicz) and focuses on research, production, and education centered on the relational power of photography. Nasser's exhibition reinterprets a fading Mexican legend from Tlacotalpan by involving the local community in a collective reconstruction through drawings, transcriptions, and mud masks, resulting in a choral portrait of the mythical Cornuda creature.

Punching the light: Sydney’s 90s raves – in pictures

Simon Burstall, at age 17, began photographing Sydney's underground rave scene in the 1990s, using borrowed school cameras and sneaking out in the family car to capture the burgeoning subculture. His images from that era were later compiled into the photobook '93: Punching the Light, published by Damiani in 2019.

The language of termites: Liss Fenwick’s The Colony – in pictures

Artist Liss Fenwick has created a photobook titled 'The Colony' by feeding a collection of historical Australian novels, described as 'settler fan fiction,' to a colony of termites. The insects consumed the books over several years, leaving behind hollowed, sculptural remains that Fenwick photographed. The resulting work documents this process of organic transformation, where the physical texts are digested and reshaped.

Griffin Museum of Photography brings summer exhibits to Winchester

The Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester is presenting a series of summer exhibitions running from late May through July 2026. Featured shows include "Photosynthesis XXI," a collaboration between Burlington and Winchester high schools; "Atelier 40," showcasing emerging and advanced photographers from a year-long portfolio course; "Caleb Cain Marcus: A Thousand Rectangles: On Design and the Expression of Art"; "Cassidy Thurber: I Want the Sun to Shine Down on You," the winner of the 2025 Carolyn Harder Scholarship; the 16th Annual Photobook Exhibition; a Handmade Photobook show; and "Visionary." A satellite location at Griffin Museum @WinCam will host Ellen Feldman's "WE PROTEST" from June 16 to September 1.

A Roma si celebra il fotografo riminese Marco Pesaresi a 25 anni dalla morte: docu-film e mostra

Rome is celebrating the work of Rimini-born photographer Marco Pesaresi (1964–2001), 25 years after his death, through two events organized by the photography training center Daylight School, led by Marco Sconocchia. A documentary film titled "Il granchio nudo – La storia di Marco Pesaresi," produced by Riccardo Caccia and Michela Fragomeni and directed by Marta E. Antonioli and Elena Padovan, will be screened on May 21 at Nuovo Cinema Aquila. The film features unpublished materials, including Pesaresi's diaries and poems, and includes interviews with those who knew him. A group exhibition, "UNDERGROUND. Il mondo sotto. Omaggio a Marco Pesaresi," opens May 29 at Daylight School, reinterpreting the themes of his photobook "Underground" through the eyes of 15 photographers.