18 Photographers on What It Means to Embrace the Unknown

Horizons are where the finite meets the infinite; a site of endings and beginnings, anticipation and transformation. The latest edition of the Square Print Sale, On the Horizon, features over one hundred photographers invited by Aperture and Magnum. The selected prints push the boundaries of what we know and see, explore the edges of the photographic practice, and embrace the unknown.

“Photography is a profoundly democratic medium, and this Square Print Sale is a rare opportunity for all of us to own work by some of its most creative and inspiring practitioners,” observes Aperture’s executive director, Sarah Meister. “The multitude of perspectives gathered here reflect the vitality and breadth of the medium. All of these intimately scaled prints are compelling visual statements that merit close contemplation: whether purchased for oneself or as a gift, these memorable images encourage attentive connection with the world around us.”

Through October 24, 2021, collect these signed and estate-stamped, six-by-six-inch, museum-quality images for $100 each. When you purchase through this link, you directly support Aperture’s programming, publishing, and operations. Below are highlights from On the Horizon.

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Sabiha Çimen

“Like distant stars, horizons always seem to be out of reach, but that’s what dreams are made from.” —Sabiha Çimen

Ernest Cole

“Ernest recognized that the future was going to be a struggle over identity as much as it would be a battle for liberation. Unlike the majority of people of his age, Cole exhibited little or no prejudice towards the subjects of his photographs. Indeed, he seemed to celebrate the extremes of difference on New York’s streets. Every day was a glorious walk on the wild side.” —Estate of Ernest Cole

Bieke Depoorter

“This is the first image I took of Agata, after I met her the night before her twenty-fourth birthday. It was the day I realized that our chance encounter was special, and we would not manage to step away after this one portrait. What followed has been an intense and complex collaboration; a beautiful friendship with much self-reflection and constantly shifting boundaries.” —Bieke Depoorter

Elliott Erwitt

“People like to point out that this picture was taken from the dog’s point of view. I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that dog.” —Elliott Erwitt

Bruce Gilden

“It was in a coffee shop in Ginza, Tokyo. I saw a yakuza lighting his partner’s cigarette and after I took one photo of them, I asked if they could do it again to make sure that I didn’t miss it.” —Bruce Gilden

Nan Goldin

“Two worlds, like audiences, disperse
And leave the soul alone.”
—Emily Dickinson

Proceeds from the sale of this print will benefit PAIN, Aperture, and Magnum.

Todd Hido

“Coming or going? Full or empty? I say going and full.” —Todd Hido

Gillian Laub

“This was an unforgettable day in Los Angeles with Dolly Parton. I have long admired her for both her multitalents and her generous spirit. I’ll never forget the advice she gave me that day. It was right before I was about to get married, and I was anxious. I asked her what her secret is to a long-term successful relationship, since she has been married for decades. She answered: ‘Travel a lot—and not together.’” —Gillian Laub

Mary Ellen Mark

“DJ Stout, the art director at Texas Monthly, assigned me to spend a month traveling across Texas to photograph small-town rodeos. He chose me for this project because of my work on the Indian circus. There was only one thing that I found terribly disturbing: it was the sport of bull riding, because it was so dangerous. These two young boys were excellent bull riders. You can tell by their attitude that they knew it. Even though they were still children, they displayed a machismo beyond anything I had ever seen.” —Mary Ellen Mark

Yael Martínez

“Through narrow, winding, and treacherous mountain terrain, the Na Savi Indigenous communities in Guerrero, Mexico, every December 31, climb the Cerro de la Garza to perform rituals that commemorate the end and beginning of a cycle in life. They perform processions, dances, animal sacrifices, and other Indigenous spiritual practices of gratitude to the earth to ensure good harvests and full rivers, and to protect against water scarcity and the ravages of heat. It is a ritual that seeks to close the past and open the path to new horizons.” —Yael Martínez

Don McCullin

“When I came back from [photographing] wars, I would immediately throw myself into my own personal journeys, like going to Bradford or Liverpool, or I’d head up to Scotland to do landscape photography. So I never had time to think about posttraumatic stress. This image strikes me for its alien lunar landscape; an environmental disaster which is so uncomfortably at odds with the presentation of this young mother pushing her shiny pram.” —Don McCullin

Daido Moriyama

“One day in 1971, on a whim, I traveled to Hokkaido. It was my obsession that urged me—with the wasteland and the wilderness, and with the endless horizon behind it. There is a strong sense of attraction and attachment that I feel to a certain place that may, although not in reality, lie somewhere even further beyond. It is a place in my heart, and my desire to get there, see it with my own eyes, that was driving me.” —Daido Moriyama

Gueorgui Pinkhassov

“Returning to Tokyo several times, I tried to find this bridge. I remember catching a train and getting off at a random station. Everything there intrigued me in its transparent harmony. The departing day fed my melancholy. I sought emptiness. And it colored my picture blue. I accepted it.” —Gueorgui Pinkhassov

Alessandra Sanguinetti

“A summer storm had just passed over us. As soon as the lightning stopped, they both went out, shivering, to watch the wind push the storm clouds away.” —Alessandra Sanguinetti

Jamel Shabazz

“My father, who was my first photography instructor, provided me with all of the essential tools that I needed to embark on my personal journey as a photographer. He taught me about light, speed, composition, subject matter, and the importance of having concrete themes. The one thing that he would always say is: ‘Carry your camera everywhere you go, have it out and properly set at all times.’ I took that advice and everything else he shared with me and set out on a journey to explore the larger world around me. That was over forty years ago. It would be through the craft of photography that I found my purpose in life, which was to use my camera as a tool to freeze time and preserve the moment as an historical record for future generations. I have often been asked, ‘What do you look for in making an image?’ My answer is simple: I look for love, friendship, and joy.” —Jamel Shabazz

Rosalind Fox Solomon

“I’m a composer playing with light and darkness. The camera is my instrument. My parents put me down because I was different. I see myself as an outsider. I’m always a beginner. I approach the woman on the ferry. Saying nothing, I stand before her in a tattered hat and a fishing vest. I focus the camera and take her picture. She ignores me.” —Rosalind Fox Solomon

Alec Soth

“Nearly two decades ago, my wife and I visited Bogotá, Colombia, to adopt our baby girl, Carmen. During the two months we spent waiting for the courts to certify the adoption, I explored the city. The pictures I took in Bogotá are as much about my daughter’s future as they are about her birth city.” —Alec Soth

Hank Willis Thomas

“I’m looking at puzzle pieces like pixels in a photograph and putting the pieces of history together to make connections to past and present. I’m trying to understand how it all fits together.” —Hank Willis Thomas

The Magnum Square Print Sale in partnership with Aperture, On the Horizon, is available through October 24, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT.