Season 6 of the podcast kicks off with a great conversation with legendary NY writer Lucy Sante. We discuss life in the Big Apple in the 70s and 80s, her interest in vernacular and anonymous photography, and the value (or lack thereof) of a formal college degree. 

Links:

Lucy Sante website

Lucy Sante Instagram

Folk Photography: real photo postcard book

Lucy Sante: Evidence essay

A brief teaser / preview and request from your humble host.

Season Five concludes with a fun conversation with a master of color photography, Cig Harvey. We discuss finding inspiration from the world right outside your door, merging the personal with the universal, and the value of putting in the daily work in your creative practice. The journey truly is the destination. 

Links:

Cig Harvey website

Cig Harvey Instagram

Eat Flowers promo video

Since the onset of digital imaging, there has been a distinctive swing toward the analogue "look," whether achieved through true analogue processes or digital simulations. The rise of AI has further muddied the waters, raising questions about what is real and what is simulacrum. I discuss all of this and more with my guest, Lev Manovich. Together, we explore what the future of photographic and artistic image-making may entail.

Lev Manovich website

Lev's "Photography and Automation" Timeline

Lev Manovich artwork

Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation

Peter Hujar's career flew mostly under the radar during his lifetime. Active from the 1950s through 1980s, his work straddled the bohemian, creative worlds of downtown New York City. After acquiring an extensive archive, The Morgan Library & Museum has been bringing this work to a wider audience. I talk with curator Joel Smith about Peter Hujar's life and work and the upcoming exhibition "Hujar: Contact."

Links:

Hujar: Contact exhibition at The Morgan

"Peter Hujar's Day" film

The Peter Hujar archive

Jeff Cowen is an American artist best known for pushing photography beyond documentation into something closer to alchemy. We discuss his early days on the streets of New York, his association with Larry Clark and Ralph Gibson, and his journey to Europe, all while single-mindedly pursuing his muse. 

Links:

Jeff Cowen website

David Campany: thoughts on the work of Jeff Cowen

Jeff's exhibition at Fotografiska

In this episode, I talk with Anastasia Samoylova about navigating America as a Russian artist and building her work from the unlikely vantage point of Florida—a place that often feels like a microcosm of the country itself. We discuss displacement, cultural distance, and how her connection with the work of Walker Evans has sharpened her perspective on the American landscape.

Links:

Anastasia Samoylova website

"Floridas" exhibition at the Met

Anastasia on Instagram

Magnum photographer and true master of the medium Susan Meiselas joined my for a nice chat to discuss her lifetime of work, as featured in her traveling exhibition "Mediations." We talked about many of her iconic images and series, including "Carnival Strippers" as well as her noteworthy work in a Nicaraguan war zone. Such an honor to speak with a true giant of photography.

Links

Susan Meiselas website

Susan's Instagram

Carnival Strippers at the Magnum website

"Malatov Man" photography

Advertising visionary, artist, curator, and prolific bookmaker Erik Kessels joins me for a sharp, funny conversation about creativity across commerce and art. We talk appropriation and context, knowing when to say “no,” and why some of the best ideas start in your own creative backyard.

Links:

Erik Kessels website

Muddy Dance book

Erik Kessels on Instagram

Dystopian urban landscapes shimmer forth from a variety of dead technology formats... just another day at the studio for London UK based photo artist Antony Cairns. We talk punch cards, pixels and digital ink. An inspiring chat with an adventurous, audacious artist.

Links

Antony Cairns website

Nice video about Antony by Tate Modern

Pixelvision 2000 profile