From Left: Judd Apatow, Alejandro Cartagena, Miranda Barnes, Roger Deakins
For the first time in the sale’s nine-year history, Magnum photographers have invited a diverse group of artists, filmmakers, and fellow photographers to join them and contribute an image of their own to the upcoming Square Print Sale (April 17–23).
Lindokuhle Sobekwa
Joining Magnum photographers and estates are the likes of Weegee, Roger Deakins, Alfredo Jaar, Hannah Reyes Morales, Larry Sultan, Todd Hido, Judd Apatow, and more. By involving leading figures from the world of art and culture more broadly, the agency seeks to explore photography — and what it means to our society today, and into the future — from new perspectives.
“We are opening the doors and inviting our long-time friends to join the conversation,” Cristina de Middel, the agency’s president, explains.
“The invitation is just a formality, as the photography family has always shared a house — a house that is busy, and in constant renovation. As a family, we are now, once again, looking at the future with more questions than answers.”
From Left: Susan Meiselas, Raymond Depardon, Olivia Arthur, Khalik Allah
Vital Signs is the third and final part of the Then. Now. Next. triptych, organized as part of the agency’s 75th-anniversary celebrations, which began last May with a series of events and shows around the theme ‘In Dialogue.’ Having already reflected on the past and raised questions about the present, this new curation is a look to the future — a musing on the hopes, fears, and anticipation of things to come.
And it is no surprise that in the final of the agency’s triptych, many of the selected images focus on the next generation. Lindokuhle Sobekwa, the inaugural recipient of the major John Kobal Foundation Fellowship, selects an image of a
young boy from Johannesburg taking a break in the fields. Even with his eyes closed, we feel him dreaming up at the sky. Sabih Çiimen chooses an image from her award-winning first photobook, Hafiz, of students from a girls-only Quran school on a funfair ride. A plane flies so low over their heads, that it seems almost within their reach.
“Photographers have built the visual chronology of who we were and who we are today. For who we will be, the journey ahead is one that we are not ready to do alone. It will be a long road, and for that, we need as many skilled and diverse travelers as we can get,” De Middel concludes.
The Magnum Square Print Sale takes place on the Magnum Photos Shop: www.magnumphotos.com/shop
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