All posts filed under: Photography

MAD NYC, What Have We Done, The Catastrophe of Homelessness

Published by VAGA Editor

— An exclusive photo editorial piece by photographer Alberto Alcocer. Words by Maya Amoah. Images below were shot in New York City and Madrid.  It’s 2 AM and the lights of Time Square brilliantly shine like no other place in the world. Pixelated images in every direction flash before the eyes of both tourists and New Yorkers alike and if this doesn’t keep them transfixed, the juggling street busker who breathes fire surely does. On a sunny day in hot July, children eagerly lap up melting sundaes and chow on some Coney Island chili fries, strolling the sand dusted boardwalk with mama and old Pops. “Isn’t life grand, dear?” Mom whispers into dad’s ear as she sweetly kisses his head. Indeed it is, for those who can afford it. Nestled under the steps of a merry go round just meters from the Coney Island boardwalk lives an invisible man. His decrepit figure and hapless fortune has deemed him unseen to society, yet he is just 1 of over 60,000 New Yorkers who hold membership to this impoverished underworld. “It wasn’t …

Thủ Thiêm, the new and the old, a photo documentary by Adriana Roos

Published by VAGA Editor

This is a story of loss and change, of family, land and redevelopment. Thủ Thiêm is an urban development project on District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. As in almost all stories of redevelopment, there’s a back-story. Before its clearance, Thủ Thiêm was one of the most densely settled areas in the city and included a central market established in 1751. As of today, site clearance of the area is almost completed, between 14-15,000 households have been removed from the development site and resettled after more of a decade clearing 720 hectares of land. The following images aim to tell the back-story, looking at a family who’s lived there, in the same house, for more than a 100 years. They have almost no neighbours left, just rubble and empty spaces around them. This is their story: All images courtesy of photographer Adriana Roos More information and data about Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area

Hadar Pitchon

Matthew Adams Dolan – Fashion Designer – Denim Editorial by Hadar Pitchon

Published by VAGA Editor

“The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. I have heard them all, and of the three elemental voices, that of ocean is the most awesome, beautiful, and varied. For it is a mistake to talk of the monotone of ocean or of the monotonous nature of its sound … Every mood of the wind, every change in the day’s weather, every phase of the tide – all these have subtle sea musics all their own … the continuousness of it, sound of endless charging, endless incoming and gathering, endless fulfillment and dissolution… Above the tumult, like birds, fly wisps of watery noise, splashes and counter splashes, whispers, and seethings… The seas are the heart’s blood of the earth. Plucked up and kneaded by the sun and the moon, the tides are systole and diastole of the earth’s veins … Consider the marvel of what we see. Somewhere in the ocean, perhaps a thousand …

Frozen In Time, Discovering XVIII Century Palace Sanssouci by Anton Shebetko

Published by VAGA Editor

Sanssouci is a palace in Potsdam, near Berlin. Its French name translates as “without concerns”, meaning “without worries” or “carefree.” It was intended to be the summer palace for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, as a place for relaxation vs.  a seat of power. “The location and layout of Sanssouci above a vineyard reflected the pre-Romantic ideal of harmony between man and nature, in a landscape ordered by human touch.” — More about Sanssouci In this photo editorial, Ukranian artist Anton Shebetko studies the relationship between ourselves and this timeless space. Exploring our perception of the [Rococo-style] sculptures, the way we interact with this frozen-in-time-place that was conceived for the joy of the senses.

Girls In Town And A Book By Oscar Wilde

Published by VAGA Editor

All images by NY-based photographer Roeg Cohen, hair by Dana Boyer at Art Department using Bumble and Bumble and makeup by Allie Smith at Sarah Laird & Good Company. Shot at Lick Studios. Tamara at Muse Management “…It is the last thing left in me, and the best: the ultimate discovery at which I have arrived, the starting-point for a fresh development.  It has come to me right out of myself, so I know that it has come at the proper time.  It could not have come before, nor later.  Had any one told me of it, I would have rejected it.  Had it been brought to me, I would have refused it.  As I found it, I want to keep it.  I must do so.  It is the one thing that has in it the elements of life, of a new life, Vita Nuova for me.  Of all things it is the strangest.  One cannot acquire it, except by surrendering everything that one has.  It is only when one has lost all things, that one knows that …

The Divine Proportion, editorial by photographer Lindsay Keys

Published by VAGA Editor

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” — Albert Einstein The Divine Proportion also known as the Golden Ratio, the Fibonacci Series, or just Phi, can be found throughout Earth and the universe. Art, Architecture, the spirals of galaxies, the growth patterns of sunflower seeds and even our perception of beauty can be described as approximations to Phi. Is there a mathematical order of the universe or is it just our rational minds trying to find the balance in the chaos? – Photographer Lindsay Keys

London Protests I, LGBTI Equality by Alisdare Hickson

Published by VAGA Editor

Nearly one hundred protesters gathered outside Commonwealth Secretariat Headquarters in London to demand that greater equality for LGBTI people is put on the agenda for [past November] summit. The rally included participants from several LGBTI groups such as the Peter Tatchell Foundation, The Out and Proud Diamond Group, and African Rainbow Family. People can still be sent to prison for homosexuality in 41 of the 53 member states. A recent report by the Kaleidoscope Trust declared: “Across the Commonwealth lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people are denied equal access to rights, education, employment, housing and healthcare. Once again we see Commonwealth leaders gathering at the Heads of Government meeting, pushing aside the urgent need to protect every citizen under the law. Once again the human rights of LGBTI people are the elephant in the room.” Peter Tatchell explained the purpose of the rally: “Two days before the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta, 27-29 November, we are rallying outside the Commonwealth headquarters in London to demand that all Commonwealth members states …

Alex Brunet Girls of Paris

Girls, flowers, food and a few places in Paris by Alex Brunet

Published by VAGA Editor

French-photographer Alex Brunet, long-time VAGA contributor, has been exploring different sides of photography for a while. Starting as a sports photographer and then landing glossy editorial pages for fashion magazines such as POP, Italian Vogue, TANK or Dossier Journal, among many others. Below is a selection of his personal work, part of an exhibition recently shown at Galerie Very Art Space, Paris. Where did you grow up? Alex: I grew up in a small city in the countryside called Chartres (1h 20min train ride, South Paris),  very quiet city. I was quite bored there when I was kid but now somehow I appreciate to come unwind and enjoy the silence there… What are your favorite places to eat in Paris? Alex: I love eating and food in general… I really appreciate Japanese or Italian food, If I have to pick a few I would recommend Sapporo for their Ramen, or Kunitoyara for Udons, for some great pizza and Italian food.. I would say Grazie in the 3rd of Paris. It’s difficult to choose only a few places …

Reflections by conceptual photographer Paul Rousteau

Published by VAGA Editor

“When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. He was lying on his back as hard as armor plate, and when he lifted his head a little, he saw his vaulted brown belly, sectioned by arch-shaped ribs, to whose dome the cover, about to slide off completely, could barely cling. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, were waving helplessly before his eyes.” The Metamorphosis – Kafka Photography by Paul Rousteau

A Little Distorded, A Little Foolish fashion editorial by Sebastiaan Pagano

Published by VAGA Editor

“Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish.” — Hermann Hesse.  Photography by Sebastiaan Pagano Mirani,  Styling Giuliano Bolivar, Model Lotte Timmer @ Ulla Models. Royal blue silk jumpsuit by Individuals AMFI, velvet shirt by, loafers by TOD’S. Brown silk dress by Gucci, boots by Filippa K Gold chain pearl pendant and necklace by Jane Kønig, pants by Xander Zhou. Double face leather jacket by Gianfranco Ferré, pearl earrings by Jane Kønig. Royal blue silk jumpsuit by Individuals AMFI, double pearl earring by Jane Kønig. Black silk scarf worn as choker by Rika, top by “2” long sleeve leather dress worn as wrap skirt by Rika, earrings by Jane Kønig.

Just Kids syrian refugees 3

“Just Kids” a photo reportage by photographer Giulio Magnifico

Published by VAGA Editor

The images below are a selection from a photo documentary shot by photographer Giulio Magnifico. The photos were taken in May and June 2015 along the Syrian/Turkey border. Some others images were captured in Iraq, September 2014, during the war between ISIS – Da3sh and opposites. Most of the subjects are Syrian refugees kids who fled from their destroyed homes and country devastated by the long civil war. More images and videos at photographer’s website.

Stephen Shore

Art Books Under Glass: Paris Photo 2015

Published by jamesonz

PEACE FOR PARIS Due to recent tragic events, the 19th edition of the Fair has closed. Paris Photo is holding its 19th edition this November, with over 147 galleries and 27 publishers presenting both contemporary and historical work within the Grand Palais. Visiting photography buffs and book lovers can expect a feast of the senses beneath the Palais’ high glass ceiling, filled with opportunities to see work from a truly international mix of sources. The wide-ranging collection of exhibitors will feature a mix of current artists represented by galleries including Stephen Bulger, Sprueth Magers and Stephen Daiter. Organizers of the Paris Photo event have pulled some new tricks out of the hat this year, including BOOK MACHINE, an installation of 30 books hand-designed exclusively for Paris Photo through an international call for submissions. We recommend in particular the work of Stephen Shore, a legendary documentarian of American life and landscape who was among the first practitioners of the “diaristic snapshot” style. Also keep an eye out for a compelling series of works by postwar Japanese …