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The Musicians Who Energized a Revolution in Nepal

Prasiit Sthapit’s photographs show how musicians—as both instigators and healers—influenced an insurrection that shook the country.

What Christopher Gregory-Rivera Discovered in Puerto Rico’s State Secrets

For decades, US officials sought to suppress independence movements in Puerto Rico, spying on activists and their families. What do their formerly secret files reveal?

How One Photographer Documented Ghana’s Transformations

Gerald Annan-Forson portrayed Ghana in the 1970s from an intimate perspective, telling a spectacular story of political and social change.

A Mother’s Relentless Quest to Find her Missing Son

After her son disappeared from Hong Kong into China, Yu Lai Wai-ling embarked on a lifelong search to bring him home. The photographer Billy H.C. Kwok convinced Ms. Yu to tell her story, assembling images of grief and resolve.

Young Photographers in Myanmar Express a Nation’s Anxiety

Following a brutal and ongoing coup in 2021, artists from the country attempt to make sense of a troubling new political reality.

Rediscovering Hisae Imai’s Otherworldly Vision

Once a darling of Tokyo’s avant-garde and fashion scenes in the 1960s, Imai took an unexpected turn after a tragic accident.

The Women Photographers Who Consider the Dynamics of Being Seen

At a moment when women are increasingly losing control over their own bodies, can self-representation become a form of resistance?

How Elliott Erwitt Found His Signature Humor and Joy

Erwitt taught himself photography as a teenager. His most famous work was defined by wit, exuberance, and irrepressible curiosity.

Sam Contis Asks What It Means to Move through the Landscape

In her photographs of England’s stiles and centuries-old footpaths, the artist reflects on how we cross boundaries—and the ways we have shaped the natural world.

The Oppositional Energy of Zines

Handmade or photocopied, zines operate outside of traditional publishing networks—and counter the preciousness of the print.

A Screenwriter’s Forgotten Photographs of American Televisions

In the 1970s, Dennis Feldman photographed living rooms across the country. What do his images of TVs reveal about the national consciousness?

What Was the NFT?

When cryptocurrency was on the rise, entrepreneurial artists and prominent photographers rushed to release NFTs. But is the NFT actually a medium—or merely a medium of exchange?

The James Webb Space Telescope’s Vision of the Cosmos

For the world’s most powerful camera, translating invisible light is a matter of art and science.

How Ghana Became a Homeland for the African Diaspora

From Maya Angelou to Todd Gray, writers and artists from around the world have returned to Ghana in the decades since the country’s independence. What were they looking for?

How Archives Illuminate the History and Culture of Ghana

From photographs to record covers, Ghana’s archives have become invaluable resources for understanding the nation’s past.

Inside the New Photography Center Energizing Accra’s Art Scene

Home to a gallery and thousands of books, the Dikan Center is the latest in a growing number of creative hubs across Ghana.

Toyo Miyatake’s Indelible Record of Life inside the Manzanar Internment Camp

During World War II, Miyatake made surreptitious photographs of Japanese Americans incarcerated by the US government. He saw little need to glorify, humanize, or even individualize the prisoners—because he was one of them.

The Possibility of Home

Asian American photographers have always found inventive ways to engage with interior spaces, often against the demands of public visibility.
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Aperture 254

Aperture Releases “Counter Histories,” Produced with Magnum Foundation Spring Issue Presents Photographers Who Uncover Personal and Political Histories (New York—March 6, 2024) What creative possibilities are offered by the gaps, absences, and silences in historical records? This spring, Aperture magazine presents “Counter Histories,” an issue produced in collaboration with Magnum Foundation and informed by their…