What if creativity isn’t something we possess, but something that emerges ‘between’ things? That question has been on my mind since reading “Ways of Being” by James Bridle (2022) —a book that reframes intelligence as something not bound to human minds, rather it is distributed across relationships, environments and systems. In one passage, Bridle revisits Alan Turing’s reflections on machine ...

My studio walls tell the story of a fifteen-year obsession with lenticular prints—those ridged, satisfyingly tactile objects that transform as you tilt them or move past them. What began as a casual interest evolved into a serious collection that now exceeds 200 pieces that I have sourced from flea markets, gift shops and specialty dealers on eBay. Sometimes, we collect without knowing why. ...

In 1993, Jeff Wall meticulously reworked Hokusai's famous woodblock print, spending over a year orchestrating actors and stitching together 50 photographs to create “A Sudden Gust of Wind (After Hokusai)”. Three decades later, AI image generators can create variations of Wall's composition in seconds. In my series “After Wall”, balanced arrangements of individuals are transformed into organic, ...

The latest finds from our community artists’ photobooks “In Focus” is a quarterly series of reviews in which we hunt down and peruse the worthy publications off the shelves of our community artists. Each month, Der Greif is selecting a set of photobooks from our talents’ pool. Compiled here are the most recent releases from our community artists Debmalya Ray Choudhuri, Sarah Mei Herman, Zoe ...

“Nothing that came from her hands was incomplete, she focused her care on every physical object in the world, and when I came to a party, I could tell right away whether she was there or not, because her shoes were always neatly stored in the shoe cabinet or in a corner next to the chaos of shoes of the rest. Her hands naturally created pleasure in their movements, there was tenderness towards ...

Inspiration comes to me from many different places – some obvious, others more unexpected. Photography, film, performance, sculpture, theatre, and literature all play a role. But I’m equally drawn to second-hand advertising websites like Marktplaats.nl, reality TV shows like “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, my observations on the street, in shops, and in other people’s homes. And then there’s the ...

The second edition of EXPOSED Torino Foto Festival reflects a growing need for deeper engagement with and understanding of photoculture The notion of embedded, invisible forces within photographs is both visceral and conceptual – shaped by the social, political, and infrastructural histories that have informed the medium’s evolution. Photography, as a fundamentally relational form, hinges on ...

In 2023, my father had to empty his apartment for renovations. It wasn’t his choice, but it ended up being a much-needed push to part with a significant amount of (excess) furniture. He had lived in that apartment for over forty years – a space filled with objects and memories from different phases of our lives: squatting with friends, my mother moving in, my brother and I growing up there, and ...

Hello dear readers, Let me tell you a little about my work and where my interests lie. It won’t be an adventurous tale – I haven’t traveled the world with a camera in hand, nor have I photographed strangers in far-off places. In fact, I’ve done quite the opposite. Photography, for me, is a way to zoom in on the everyday – to explore familiar spaces and seemingly banal objects that often ...

Marens van Leunen photographed the house she grew up in – a space her father still inhabits, surrounded by an eclectic array of belongings. Inside, you'll find eleven identical chairs, four similar sofas, at least seven tables, seven to eight computer screens, and six or more gas stoves – just to name a few. The interior is ever-changing, undergoing frequent rearrangements. Furniture comes and ...

Der Greif in partnership with MPB presents Aldo Iram Juárez, Guest Room Scholarship winner Der Greif and MPB introduce Aldo Iram Juárez, scholarship recipient from our Guest Room “WHERE is the photographic image?,” curated by Joanna Zylinska and Yanai Toister. Juárez is a photographer, artist and curator from Mexico City. His practice is rooted in an understanding of photography as a “mirage”: a ...

Der Greif invited curator, writer, and critic KJ Abudu to curate a Guest Room. Based between New York, London, and Lagos, his writings and exhibitions focus on critical art and discursive practices responding to the world-historical conditions produced by colonial capitalist modernity. For this edition of Guest Room, he has chosen the theme “Sounds of Resistance." "I’m interested in practices ...

Photography where history, heritage and community co-exist Fotografia Calabria Festival was founded in 2021 and is the first widespread photography festival based in Calabria, one of Italy’s southern regions. Organized and promoted by Associazione Pensiero Paesaggio, under the artistic direction of Anna Catalano, it is conceived not only as a physical space, but also as a platform for reflecting ...

I have many photographic artists that I admire but Hisae Imai still sits on top of the list. I purchased her photobook by chance in a bookshop in Japan in 2022, only because I saw a photo of eggs on the front cover. At the time, I was using a lot of eggs in my series “Counted, Graded, Numbered’. I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but it was more like a love at first sight and I have ...

‘Purikura’ is a type of photobooth that emerged in Japanese arcades during the 1990s, distinct from the standard booths that had existed before. Designed to appeal to a young female audience, Purikura aimed to draw them back into arcade culture. These booths allowed users to take photographs and print them as small sticker-like images, which they could exchange with friends and collect in ...

Having lived in two different countries, I have developed a deeper appreciation for how language shapes culture. Both written and verbal language play a significant role in how one immerses oneself in a cultural context. Weapon of Choice was created not only as part of my personal journey but also as a means to address violence against women in Japanese society and to initiate conversations that ...

Introducing all Greif Alumni shaping this year’s FUTURES Network Each year, the FUTURES platform brings together a diverse cohort of emerging artists from around the world, offering them a long-term program designed to foster artistic growth and professional development. We are thrilled to announce the Greif Alumni selected for FUTURES 2025 Network – a dynamic group of nearly one hundred talents ...

I majored in Painting while attending art school in the 2000s. Photography wasn’t on my radar, but I enjoyed manipulating images in Photoshop. Back then, I used photographs taken with a point-and-shoot camera, layering and editing them in Photoshop before printing them out to collage, paint, and draw upon. At that time, photography and digital imagery served as the foundation for my ...

“Loneliness, roaming youths, violence and predators. We were wild nocturnals in the dark, warm nights. Summer left quickly and before my 15th birthday, I got my hair cut short. Strangely, that was something that hurt me the most. In one of my hot summer dreams, I was in a Fatboy Slim’s video clip. Christopher Walken and I danced along. All summer long I felt like I had no control of my ...

I love browsing Craigslist apartment listings for cute Los Angeles apartments and Hudson Valley cottages – not because I’m looking to move (I’ve lived in the same house in Eagle Rock for over five years and love it), but as a way of window shopping for other lives. It’s a chance to imagine paths I won’t or can’t take. What fascinates me most is how non-photographers and non-realtors capture ...

I’ve been enjoying the work of photographers and friends who embrace color darkroom printing as part of their art practice, including Rory Hamovit is a Los Angeles-based photographer who shoots large format color film in his studio in east LA. We first met while attending Bard College together – I still remember how much I loved his thesis show in 2013. I have been lucky to get to visit Rory’s ...

Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to photographers who incorporate color darkroom printing as an integral part of their practice. One artist whose work stands out is Adali Schell, a Los Angeles-based photographer, shoots color film – primarily 35mm, with some medium format – at home in LA and with his extended family in rural Ohio. His recent series, “Car Pictures”, explores how he and his ...

Photography meets urbanity in Munich’s Werskviertel Mitte with Ania Rolińska, Blandine Soulage, Greg C. Holland, Lola Flash, and Yuxi Wang Munich’s Werksviertel Mitte is a place where the past and future of urban space converge – a district shaped by industry, transformed into a vibrant cultural hub. In collaboration with Werksviertel Mitte Kunst and Werksviertel, Der Greif brings a new layer to ...

In 2023, I was an artist in residence at Quinn Emanuel Artists in Residence in downtown Los Angeles. I started a new body of work, “On Hills,” while based out of my studio at QE. This was my first new project since starting Borrowed Landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a couple of years photographing so close to home – my garden, neighbors, and friends – starting this new project helped ...

My project Borrowed Landscape (2021-2024) is an exploration of growth and stagnation, loss and gain, loneliness and community. I started this project as a way to work through the turmoil of the pandemic, and as a way to feel connected to my community and the wider world during a time of intense isolation. Inspired by the concept of “borrowed scenery,” a gardening philosophy that incorporates the ...