Meeting Josef Koudelka

Once in a while, I couldn't help myself.  There were certain books in my father's beautiful library that I had to keep close to me and couldn't bear to return to their rightful place.  One such book was "Exiles" by Josef Koudelka.  'My' copy since the early teenage years, the book has been my constant companion in different continents throughout the decades: Guatemala, Jerusalem, Europe, New York.

Frederic Brenner's epic exhibition project "This Place" opened last night at the Brooklyn Museum.  It is a unique gathering of some of the world's greatest photographers in an exploration of Israel and Palestine.  Two of them I count as dear friends, Jungjin Lee and Rosalind Solomon.  Years ago, I printed books and exhibitions for Gilles Peress.  Legendary photographers one and all.

Last night I finally had the chance to spend time with my childhood hero, Josef Koudelka.  And in this photograph, I look happy as only kids know how to be.

Portrait of myself by David Choi

A portrait of myself shot this week in Harlem by my former New York Film Academy student David Choi who is getting ready to launch the print version of his online magazine Serazard.
Stay tuned!

As seen in Livraria Cultura

My book YONKEROS (La Fabrica Editorial, Madrid, 2013) as seen at Livraria Cultura on Avenida Paulista in Sao Paolo, Brazil.  The photo was sent to me by my former and very talented student Patricia Montrase!

Waking up to Beijing... at its most polluted.

I'm still trying to come to terms with my experience of Beijing. The city made a deep impression on me. On the one hand, it stretches so far back into the splendors of history that you feel like you are witnessing the origins of culture. On the other, it projects forward into the future as a cautionary tale, with intimations of a post-apocalyptic era and of the last cities on earth.

Photographic Workshops in Beijing and Havana

I'm fresh back from Beijing where I led a workshop for the China Photographers Association in tandem with Shen Wei - one of my favorite photographers - and distinguished curator Ren Yue.

Next, I'm heading to Havana in March 2016.  Together with Katrin Eismann,  Department Chair of the Masters in Digital Photography Program at the School of Visual Arts, we will lead a week-long workshop.  Applications are now open: we are looking for a few good photographers to join us in exploring this historical moment of transition for the people of Cuba.

More details here:
http://destinations.sva.edu/digital-photography-in-havana-cuba/faculty/

With best wishes for the Holiday season,

Jaime

Teaching in Beijing!

I'm off to Beijing to teach a workshop sponsored by the China Photographers Association, in tandem with stellar photographer Shen Wei and distinguished curator Ren Yue.

What could be better?

YONKEROS on Langly Co "Field Notes"

Langly Camera Bags in Australia designs some seriously beautiful gear.  I'm glad to see this interview and portfolio of works from YONKEROS published in their Field Notes Blog.

Nine works from YONKEROS featured in I/Thou exhibition at NYU Kimmel Art Galleries

NIne works from the series YONKEROS are currently on view at NYU's Kimmel Art Galleries.

A curatorial tour and conversation is scheduled for Oct 9th at 6PM.  More info here.

Featured in the upcoming book: Fossils of Light + Time

"If you were to ask me to define a photograph in a few words, I would say it is “a fossil of light and time.”

Daido Moriyama’s dictum is the inspiration for a book of photographs curated by Elizabeth Avedon and published by the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography.  Daido’s words are as penetrating and haunting as his photographs, which I have long admired.  Anybody familiar with the industry knows the iconic work of Elizabeth Avedon and how it has helped shape our notion of the photographic book.

Initially, when Elizabeth and DCCP called for photographs in the spirit of Moriyama, I didn’t consider sending in my work.  I think of the Japanese photographer as the “Stray Dog of Tokyo”, nose close to the ground and eyes distended with hallucination and hunger.  My own aesthetic seemed too far removed.  However, his words stayed with me and I found myself returning to his images again and again. 

With a few weeks left before the deadline I decided to create new works in dialogue with Moriyama.  I spent a week shooting at night.  I would set off around 10PM and stay out until my legs gave out and my eyes got red and heavy with sleep.  I wandered around the deserted streets of Chinatown and Harlem, looked under bridges and overpasses.  Feeling a growing excitement and energy, I couldn’t help myself and started going out earlier and earlier. 

My second week of shooting started about an hour before dusk.  In the end, I feel like the intensity of my night-time scavanging crossed over into my daylight photographs.  Every one of those carries a hint of the approaching darkness in it.  Elizabeth chose the one above – my own favorite - for the book entitled “Fossils of Light + Time”

Winner of AI AP's Latin American Fotografia 4

This photograph from my "Untitled" (Cuba) series is a Winner in this year's edition of AI AP's Latin American Fotografia. Congratulations to my esteemed colleagues Ron Haviv, Rocio De Alba, Stefan Falke, and Ed Kashi for being awarded as well!

Mentoring a young photographer

"I like Ralph Gibson and psychedelic rock and roll from the 60s. Oh, and I only shoot film".

This is how fifteen-year-old Mark, from Hong Kong introduced himself to me at the New York Film Academy.  NYFA had asked me to mentor him one-on-one for a week.  I agreed without really knowing what to expect.

As Mark was taking out a Nikon FM2 from his backpack, I asked him for the title of his favorite Gibson book.  Without skipping a beat he replied: The Somnambulist.

Our whole exchange reminded me of that short story from the "Book of Sand" where a young Borges has a conversation with an aging stranger on a park bench overlooking the Charles River.  

The stranger turns out to be his older self, sitting next to him across time.

Parkour Summer

This summer I've been spending time shooting parkour with my friend Deyvid García.
His dream is to one day be sponsored in the sport and I'm helping him put a portfolio of photographs together.  

Four days ago Deyvid graduated from Highschool.  As if that wasn't reason enough to celebrate, he just landed his first role in an upcoming film on parkour.
YES!!

We met in Central Park late afternoon; right after he was done for the day selling clothes at The Gap.  Afterward the shoot we chowed down on some Japanese ramen. Deyvid skated all the way home to the Bronx and I got on a train going back to Harlem.

This week on Instagram: Korea with Arirang TV

This week on my Instagram account @jaime_permuth I will be posting images from my travels last summer with South Korea's Arirang TV.  Each year, Arirang invites eight photographers from around the world to tape two episodes each for their documentary photo and travel series "In Frame".  My journey to Korea was simply unforgettable and had many surprises in store for me.

Among the distinguished colleagues who participated in 2014, were two friends which I greatly admire and appreciate, VII's Ron Haviv and Magnum's Eli Reed.

Smithsonian Magazine Instagram Takeover

Starting tomorrow, I'm honored to takeover the feed at Smithsonian Magazine. 

Please join me as I share photographs and stories from my recent journey to Guatemala
and my work documenting symphonic youth orchestras.

A little summer fun at the Highline Park NYC

A little summer fun at the Highline Park NYC with my friend Deyvid "Wolf" Garcia, rising parkour star.

Farewell, Mary Ellen Mark. 1940-2015

If there are streets in heaven, Mary Ellen will surely hit the ground running.

Who knows? Maybe God could use a good black and white portrait.

Farewell, Mary Ellen.

ArtBridge Benefit Auction

One of my photographs from Cuba is included in this year's ArtBridge Benefit Auction. Also available, are wonderful works by some very esteemed colleagues and friends, Manjari Sharma, Stephen Mallon, Richard Renaldi. Irina Rozovsky, Jennifer McClure, Richard Tuschman,and Phil Toledano!

Bid here: https://paddle8.com/work/jaime-permuth/66926-untitled-cuba

Teaching at the School of Visual Arts this Summer.

Excited to teach two Independent Studies this Summer for the Masters in Digital Photography at SVA with our very talented students Alyson Smith and Kitty Mussallem. That's Kitty in the photo, with her amazing portfolio documenting sailors at play and at work.

Month of Photography Los Angeles

Glad to announce that two works from my series YONKEROS will be on view at Arena 1 Gallery in Santa Monica as part of the Month of Photography Los Angeles.  Exhibition opens April 9th.

My monograph of the same title may be purchased in bookstores across the world as well as online.

Argentina Notebook on fototazo

TODAY on fototazo we embark on a new in-depth series exploring photography in Argentina. This time, Tom Griggs and myself collaborate with our friend and talented colleague Eleonora Ronconi.

For our first post, here's my conversation -and overview of the history of the photographic medium in Argentina- with Fabian Goncalves Borrega, Curator of the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC.