One Year after the City Shut Down, Aperture Presents “New York”
Announcing Aperture magazine’s new issue and a month-long photography program celebrating New York, in the heart of the city.
Roe Ethridge, Apple and Black Glove, 2020, from the series Fugitive Sunset for Aperture
Courtesy the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York
One year after New York City shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aperture magazine releases “New York,” an extraordinary issue honoring the city through photographs and essays by visionary artists and writers, reminding us of how much there is to discover, and relish, when New York comes roaring back.
New York is a city of improvisers—and there has been no shortage of creative solutions to surviving the trauma of the pandemic and meeting a moment of social unrest and public demands for social justice and equity. The “New York” issue features newly commissioned portfolios by Farah Al Qasimi and Roe Ethridge, alongside never-before-seen photographs by Rosalind Fox Solomon and Saul Leiter. Acclaimed photojournalist Philip Montgomery speaks with Kathy Ryan about covering the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic; Hua Hsu writes about how photographs at the Museum of Chinese in America tell a story of resilience; and Tanisha C. Ford profiles Jamel Shabazz, the legendary street photographer, whose indelible images from the 1980s are icons of style and joy.
Coinciding with the “New York” issue, Aperture and Rockefeller Center are collaborating on a month-long photography program celebrating New York, in the heart of the city. The program will feature a virtual talk series, a pop-up store, and public art exhibitions. See below for the full schedule.
Tanisha C. Ford in conversation with Jamel Shabazz
Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 p.m. ET, Register here
Since the early 1980s, Jamel Shabazz has photographed New York’s street life and hip-hop culture with joy, verve, and style. His work not only captures the essence and pureness of hip-hop culture in New York, but also the deep connections he has with his subjects and community. In this conversation, Shabazz and Ford will discuss Shabazz’s career, his lasting legacy, how quarantine has given him time to rediscover hidden gems in his archive, and the installation of work at Rockefeller Center through April.
Artist Talk with Irina Rozovsky
Thursday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. ET, Register here
For ten years, Irina Rozovsky has been making lyrical portraits of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park—both of the landscape and its visitors—perfectly capturing the democratic nature of the space. From images of women fishing to family barbeques to young couples in the grass, In Plain Air (2011–20) is a lover letter to Prospect Park and all those who spend time there.
Presented in collaboration with Aperture, Rockefeller Center, Parsons the New School for Design, and MACK. Additional support for this program is provided by MPB.com.
Widline Cadet and Rafael Rios on Family, Friendship, and New York
Thursday, April 22, 7:00 p.m. ET, Register here
In this conversation Nicole Acheampong, assistant editor of Aperture magazine, will speak with photographers Widline Cadet and Rafael Rios about their work featured in the “New York” issue, and on crafting intimate portraits of friends and family. In her series Soft, Cadet makes dreamlike, black-and-white photographs of friends embracing in New York City parks, while Rios’s Family series captures vibrant flashes of his extended Puerto Rican family’s everyday life in Brooklyn. Both artists, commissioned by Aperture to make new work for this issue, have expanded their long-term projects to offer new ways of seeing the tenderness and tenacity of community, a vital offering at a moment of social distancing.
A Lightbox Installation of Photographs by Jamel Shabazz
On view at Rockefeller Center from March 27 to April 30
An outdoor exhibition of New York City street and subway photographs by Jamel Shabazz, who has methodically created street portraits throughout the city for forty years. Fourteen of Shabazz’s portraits will be displayed in the heart of the city, installed on seven-foot-tall lightboxes across Rockefeller Center’s public plazas.
The Flag Project 2021
On view at Rockefeller Center from March 27 to April 30
The Flag Project 2021 is a public art installation celebrating the medium of photography that called on the public to submit photographs inspired by New York City, with 83 winning submissions produced as flags and flown from the iconic flagpoles of Rockefeller Center. The installation also features guest photographers, invited by Aperture, who have helped define New York in photographs, including Kwame Brathwaite, Renee Cox, Elliott Erwitt, Roe Ethridge, Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, Susan Meiselas, Duane Michals and Tyler Mitchell.
Aperture Pop-Up
At Rockefeller Center from March 27 to April 30
This special pop-up space will feature new limited-edition prints by artists featured in the “New York” issue, Aperture’s new book releases and best sellers, special artist-signed publications, and more.
