Aperture 249: Reference

Latest Stories

The Oppositional Energy of Zines

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

James Welling Recasts the Ancient World 

In two recent series, the photographer references fragments of antiquity, pulling the past into the present.
Stephanie Syjuco, Still Life Construct, 2022

Stephanie Syjuco Confronts the Power of the Archive

Syjuco’s rigorous photographs show how interrogating institutional collections can be a potent tool in decolonizing American history.

Gordon Parks’s Strident Vision of Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power Movement

In the late 1960s, Parks chronicled the young activist organizing voters, speaking at rallies, and advocating for Black self-determination.

An Artist’s Photo Archive Tells a Story about Race and Labor

Qiana Mestrich’s vintage pictures of Black women at work—including her own mother—show the role women of color play in the workplace.

Why Ramón Reverté Believes a Photobook Needs a Great Story

The creative director of Editorial RM has collaborated with Latin America’s most influential photographers. But what makes a photobook a work of art?

The Strange and Beautiful World of Deborah Turbeville’s Photo-Novella

The renowned fashion photographer’s previously unseen experimental collages tell the story of a fictional designer who disappears at the height of her career.

An Artist’s Clever Reuse of the Fashion Image

In his collaborative multimedia project “The Repros,” Jojo Gronostay poses a timely critique of clothing brands, global trade, and neocolonialism.
Margaret Bourke‑White, Flame Burner Ann Zarik, 1943

An Exhibition Revives the Legacy of “Life” Magazine

The newsmagazine’s iconic and influential photo-essays were a collective effort. For contemporary artists, they’re rich territory for the interrogation of print media.

Grace Wales Bonner on the Photographers That Inspire Her Visionary Fashion Design

In an exclusive interview, the influential designer speaks about her artistic collaborations with Liz Johnson Artur, Tyler Mitchell, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya—and how she uses images to salute the past and imagine the future.

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Aperture No. 256

Aperture’s fall issue, “Arrhythmic Mythic Ra,” refracts themes of family, social history, and the astrophysical through the eyes of guest editor Deana Lawson, one of the most compelling photographers working today.