Interviews

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The Photo Studio That Immortalized Argentina’s Popular Culture

During an era of political upheaval, a portrait session at Foto Estudio Luisita, run by sisters Luisa and Chela Escarria, was a rite of passage for actors, dancers, pioneering trans performers—and the occasional adorned dog.
Synchrodogs, Ukraine, 2011

A Ukrainian Photography Duo’s Fantastical World

Known for their vivid imagery, Synchrodogs have worked with some of the world’s leading magazines and brands—but since the war in Ukraine began, they have been stuck in limbo.

“Please Tell the World What Is Happening to Us”: A Photographer’s Account of Covering the War in Ukraine

Natalie Keyssar speaks about her powerful, yet devastating photographs from Ukraine—and the essential need for photography in a moment of crisis.
Susan Kuklin, Kachin and Michael at Michael’s Apartment, 1987

How Pictures Can Shape an Essential History of Queer Life

From photographs of same-sex weddings to HIV/AIDS caretakers, Stephen Vider’s new book shows how queer people redefined gender roles, domestic space, and the politics of intimacy in the twentieth century.
Lily Wiley Vallejo and Louisa Vallejo with Emily Melvin, ca. 1870s

How Can Historical Photographs Preserve Latinx Culture?

For decades, the artist Ken Gonzales-Day has collected photographs that represent a century of dramatic change for Mexican Americans.
Claudia Gordillo, Celebrating the National Day of FSLN Militias in Masaya, 1984

How Claudia Gordillo Documented the Realities of Life in Nicaragua

Whether photographing armed conflict or religious rituals, Gordillo observed Nicaraguan society from a close yet critical distance.

A Syrian Documentary Photographer Teaches Children to Capture Their Lives

In Turkey, Serbest Salih runs a mobile darkroom where kids—often refugees affected by war—learn the basics of developing their black-and-white photos.

Greg Tate and Arthur Jafa on Ming Smith’s “Acts of Love” in Photography

In the 1970s, Smith immersed herself in jazz music, producing images with her signature poetic blur—and exploring what Tate and Jafa call the “maroon fugitivity” of Black postmodern life.

In Frida Orupabo’s Collages, the Black Feminine Figure Is a Rich Expressive Force

Using photographs in her multidisciplinary work, Orupabo creates narratives that oppose stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a Black woman.

Gregory Halpern on the Impossibility of Documentary Photography

Reflecting on his series based in the contemporary social landscape of Guadeloupe, the photographer speaks about his process, personal history, and the politics of representation.

Paul Pfeiffer on the Transformative Effects of the Pop Culture Image

In a conversation with Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, the multidisciplinary artist speaks about the politics of viral images and mass spectacle.

Why Lynn Hershman Leeson Is Always Ahead of Her Time

The pioneering performance, video, and multimedia artist speaks with the poet Eileen Myles about the connections between technology and society.

Arundhati Roy Sees Delhi as a Novel

The renowned author and activist discusses the many landscapes—political, environmental, and architectural—that give shape to the city’s story.
Sabiha Çimen, Quran School students having fun with a pink smoke bomb at a picnic event, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017

A New Digital Platform Asks What Truth Means in Photography

With issues of truth more pressing than ever, Alan Govenar started an online space for critical discussion about the role of images in contemporary life. Here, he speaks about projects from Istanbul to the Bronx.
Flo Ngala, Untitled, Brooklyn Bridge, NY, 2020

How a Collective of Photographers Aims to Affirm Black Life

During the racial justice protests of 2020, See In Black presented visions of Black America through their own lived experiences—and raised critical funds for homelessness, youth, queer, and political organizations.

How David Alekhuogie Navigates the Colonial Past

The LA-based photographer speaks about Walker Evans, Black aesthetics, and how a frightening encounter with the police informed his thinking about art.
Philip Montgomery, The Rainbow Room, 2020

How One Photographer Covered the Unfolding of the Pandemic

Last spring, as New York became the global epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, Philip Montgomery made an indelible record of a transformed city.

Progress Requires Pictures: An Exit Interview with Chris Boot

Aperture’s executive director, who steps down in May 2021, speaks about his career in photography and how images impact our lives beyond the appreciation of art.
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Aperture No. 257

Aperture presents “Image Worlds to Come: Photography & AI,” a timely and urgent issue that explores how artificial intelligence is quickly transforming the field of photography and our broader culture of images.

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