Articles

Hans Hickerson reviews Nadia Sablin’s Years Like Water, a portrait of the Russian village of Alekhovshchina photographed between 2008 and 2021. He explains how Sablin’s family connections and repeated visits support an intimate account of children and teenagers growing up, interspersed with landscapes, houses and everyday details. Hickerson follows recurring subjects across the years and reads their changing appearances as a coming-of-age narrative. He praises the restrained design, the photographer’s afterword and the captioned image section. His response also considers the young subjects’ uncertain futures and the title’s suggestion of time passing almost unnoticed. Read Article

Paul Anderson reviews Jan Staller’s Manhattan Project, which gathers photographs made at New York City construction sites between 2010 and 2024. He describes how isolated steelwork, cables and connectors become sculptural forms through precise framing and graphic compositions. His review pays particular attention to facing-page pairings, finding menace, humour and elegance in the relationships between industrial objects. Anderson also considers the printing, wide image formats and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s foreword. He presents the book as a celebration of building construction and recommends it to readers interested in graphic design and compositional studies. Read Article

Matt Schneider reviews Marcin Piekałkiewicz’s photobook Built on Sand, which examines how limestone extraction and construction have shaped Malta’s landscape, history, and politics. Schneider describes the book as a novel contribution to debates about development and extraction, praising its blend of geological and cultural history, statistical evidence, and photographs of quarries, new buildings, and vulnerable workers. He highlights Piekałkiewicz’s argument that rapid growth has strained the island’s ecology and heritage while exposing construction workers to danger. The reviewer finds the juxtapositions of ancient sites, natural terrain, and recent development especially effective, and suggests the book is relevant to broader discussions of growth and sustainability. Read Article

During Melbourne's record-setting sixth COVID-19 lockdown, photographer Andrew Rovenko and his family turned to creative activities to cope with restrictions. Inspired by their daughter Mia's fascination with space, they created a homemade spacesuit, which transformed their limited daily outings into imaginative space missions. One photograph captures Mia quietly contemplating inside an old bus during a thunderstorm, revealing a rare moment of calm and depth. Rovenko’s project, originally informal and personal, gained unexpected acclaim and led to a self-published photobook titled The Rocketgirl Chronicles. Read Article

Chambre noir, Archive blanche is a photographic book created through the collaboration between the Photothèque of the Muséum de Toulouse and Éditions Païen, led by Lia Pradal. It features over 1,400 glass plates, prints, and negatives by Eugène Trutat, taken between 1860 and 1910. The collection offers a contemporary perspective on Trutat’s work, capturing the Pyrenean glaciers more than a century ago as they melted. The book metaphorically represents the glaciers and mountains disappearing over time, concluding with a prophetic quote from geographer Élisée Reclus on the eventual disappearance of these landscapes. Read Article

'The Banda Journal,' created by Muhammad Fadli and Fatris MF, was named one of the best photobooks of 2021 by TIME Magazine, ranking third on their list. The photobook documents the history and struggles of the Banda community in Indonesia, highlighting the colonial exploitation and violence experienced in the Banda Islands. Combining photography, illustrations, words, and research data gathered over three years, the book preserves and shares the community's stories. It aims to raise awareness of the islands' significance and beauty through captivating visuals and narrative. Read Article

Ricky Adam’s photobook Back to Back captures life in Leeds, England, focusing on the small brick back-to-back terrace houses historically built for factory workers. The book’s images, grouped by seasons, portray people—often immigrants and working-class residents—in everyday street scenes and intimate indoor moments. Adam offers a grounded view without glamor, showing children playing, local shops, and faces of diverse communities. The photographs provide a personal, partial glimpse of Leeds, documenting both its environment and inhabitants with sensitivity and curiosity. Read Article

Chris Anthony's photobook "Thanks, We’ll Take It From Here" is a large, 324-page work that addresses income and wealth inequality in America. Using the pitchfork as a central metaphor, Anthony presents a visual narrative inspired by past revolutions and contemporary social struggles, highlighting the disparities between the rich and the poor. The book mixes cinematic images, historical references, graffiti, and conceptual photography to emphasize the urgent need for change and equitable wealth distribution. It features numerous portraits and scenarios depicting modern revolutionaries protesting systemic injustices, aiming to awaken a wider audience to societal issues. Read Article

Lebanese-American photographer Rania Matar draws inspiration from the strength, beauty, and resilience of the women she photographs, often seeing reflections of herself in her subjects. Her portrait work focuses on personal emotions and breaking stereotypes, reflecting her dual cultural identity and experiences as a mother. She values collaboration with her subjects, working closely with them to capture their true self and empower them through the process. Matar’s projects explore stages of life and female identity across different cultures, emphasizing shared humanity. Read Article

Today's Special is a photobook by Jeff Rothstein featuring black-and-white images of New York City taken over four decades from 1969 to 2006. The 62-page book contains 48 film photographs capturing everyday life, cityscapes of littered sidewalks, dilapidated buildings, and evolving skyscrapers. Rothstein, a Brooklyn-born photographer, documents a city that no longer exists, offering intimate and historically empathetic views. His work is recognized alongside notable photographers like Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander. The book reflects a gritty yet timeless era, emphasizing the mood and texture brought out by black-and-white film photography. Read Article

The exhibition "Ferdinando Scianna: Journey Tale Memory" opened on March 22 at the Piano Nobile of Palazzo Reale in Milan. It presents over 200 black and white photographs spanning the entire career of Sicilian photographer Ferdinando Scianna, featuring a special section dedicated to his friend and writer Leonardo Sciascia. The display includes Scianna's early work on religious festivals in Sicily, his photojournalistic endeavors, portraits of cultural figures, and his ventures into fashion photography. The show offers an audio guide where Scianna shares personal stories and insights into his artistic journey. Read Article

Barbara Cole’s monograph Between Worlds showcases her three decades of exploration into the fluid aesthetics of water through photography. Using polaroid, film, and waterproof cameras, Cole captures underwater portraits that blur the lines between portraiture and underwater imagery. Her work emphasizes the poetic symbolism of water, femininity, and mythology, drawing connections to female gods and water-born legends like mermaids and Mazu. The photographs reveal a unique interplay between light, form, and water’s unpredictable nature, inviting a passive creative process that highlights water’s transformative qualities. Read Article