Barbara Cole’s new photography book, Between Worlds, will be released on June 28, 2023, by teNeues. The book spans over 45 years of her artistic career, showcasing her evolving hybrid style that blends multiple photographic processes such as Polaroid, underwater photography, and the wet collodion process. Cole, a self-taught photographer, embraces experimentation and intuitive creation while rejecting straightforward realism and digital cleanliness. Between Worlds offers a nonlinear, layered experience that reveals the photographer’s commitment to making timeless images that reflect her continuous artistic exploration. 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