Friday, May 31, 2019

China sought to bury news of the protests. Jeff Widener’s images conveyed the bloody reality



Jeff Widener/© AP 
A lone man stops a column of tanks near Tiananmen Square, June 4, 1989, Beijing, China



Via The Washington Post


"It has been nearly 30 years since I witnessed the horrific events of June 4, 1989, when Chinese soldiers fired upon pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square. Though many memories of the protests stir in my brain, it is the laughter that haunts me to this day.

On the evening of June 3, 1989, I stood with two other Associated Press photographers, Mark Avery and Liu Heung Shing, in a small dark office cluttered with humming picture transmitters and strewn camera gear. Low on staff, we had to draw straws to decide who would work the first night shift. I was the lucky victim.

The plan was to monitor the ongoing protests at Tiananmen Square in case anything unusual happened. Soon after, AP reporter Dan Biers and I pedaled our bicycles onto Chang’an Avenue. Though things were initially tranquil on the streets of Beijing, the stillness was short-lived. Small groups of men and women moved silently in the night, carrying large sections of steel road dividers to block the advance of any military threat.

I was traveling light, with my camera gear concealed in my clothing to avoid raising suspicion. From the shadows near the Great Hall of the People emerged an elderly Chinese man with a long white beard and an enthusiastic grin that flaunted two remaining front teeth. He proudly opened his heavy, dark coat and showcased a large silver hatchet that glimmered under the street lamps. Streams of blood trickled down the blade, forming droplets on the ground. In shock, I forced a fake smile and quickly moved on.

Just after midnight, an armored personnel carrier with a frontal machine gun cornered the avenue so fast that yellow sparks flew off the tread. As we ran for cover, I lost a camera lens.

Low on battery power, I was able to take only one flash picture every minute. This was a cruel joke for a photojournalist, and I was contemplating whether to return to the office and resupply when, in the distance, another personnel carrier lurched down the road completely engulfed in flames. Demonstrators were in hot pursuit of the vehicle, shoving large pipes into the treads. I had a single wide angle lens, which meant I had to risk getting dangerously close to the action and a possible exploding vehicle if I wanted to capture the images.

An angry protester stood over a dead soldier while holding a weapon in his hand. Then I spotted another man rolling around on the ground in flames. As a bystander tried to help the victim, all I could do was stare down at the small orange light on the flash that was attached to my camera, waiting for the signal that it was ready.

After what seemed to be an eternity, I finally lifted the viewfinder to my eye. Then, a terrific blow snapped my neck back. Laughter eerily rang out from the opposite side of the street as I struggled to stay conscious. I looked down in a daze at my shattered camera, which was covered in blood. The flash, lens and top plate had been ripped clean off by a piece of cement that was thrown at me.

Dazed and without a working camera, I grabbed a random bicycle from the ground and started heading back to the office.

The scene was chaotic. Buses were burning, and people were screaming while large-caliber machine gun tracers arched over the square. When I finally reached the office, Avery told me not to return to the streets because Chinese soldiers were “killing people.” In the darkroom, Mark salvaged the images I took by extracting the film from the smashed camera with a pair of pliers. Miraculously, the film chamber had remained light-tight.

In the days that followed, my pictures were transmitted around the world, appearing in Newsweek magazine and on the front pages of many other publications. As China sought to bury news about the protests and their violent end, my images conveyed to a global audience the bloody reality. And though my camera was destroyed, its reinforced titanium had absorbed the blow, sparing my life.

Though I still reflect on the protests, and particularly the day I photographed the iconic “Tank Man” image, it is the laughter right after the blow that I recall most.

Jeff Widener is a photojournalist, best known for his image of “Tank Man.”


Read the full article here.


Thursday, May 2, 2019

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY IS MAY 3





World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

It is an opportunity to:


celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
defend the media from attacks on their independence;
and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.


2019 Theme: Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation

The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The main event will take place in Addis Ababa, on 1 – 3 May at the African Union Headquarters. This year's theme “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation” discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

EXHIBITION: BOB GOMEL


Black Muslim Leader Malcolm X Photographing Cassius Clay Surrounded by Fans After He Beat Sonny Liston for the Heavy Weight Championship, Miami, February, 1964


 Opening reception with LIFE magazine photographer Bob Gomel

Friday, April 26  5-7 pm


The triumphs and tragedies of the 1960s provided photographer Bob Gomel and his LIFE magazine colleague’s extraordinary opportunities to advance American photojournalism. "LIFE was the world's best forum for photojournalists. We were encouraged to push creative and technical boundaries. There was no better place to work in that extraordinary decade." The exhibition includes images of presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Malcolm X, and sports figures such as boxer Muhammad Ali, baseball legend Sandy Koufax, and golfer Arnold Palmer. Several unpublished images - including one of 90 heads of state gathered around the catafalque at the Kennedy funeral and another of John F. Kennedy emerging from America's first space capsule at the Johnson Space Center in Houston - are in the exhibition.



Also featured is Gomel's perhaps most known photograph: of then 8 - year old John F. Kennedy Jr. standing solemnly at the funeral ofhis uncle, Robert Kennedy, in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. This photograph appeared in a two-page spread in the June 1968 “Special Kennedy Issue” of LIFE magazine.



Bob Gomel was born (1933) and raised in New York City. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, he was promptly offered a job at the Associated Press. But by then, he had changed his mind about what he wanted to do. “I just felt one picture wasn’t sufficient to tell a story,” he explains. “I was interested in exploring something in depth. And, of course, the mecca was Life magazine.”He turned down the offer from AP, and began working for LIFE in 1959, producing many memorable images. When LIFE ceased being a weekly in the early 1970s, he began making photographs for other major magazines. Also in the 1970s, he branched out into advertising photography. Among other accounts, he helped introduce Merrill Lynch’s Bullish on America campaign.



Bob says, “Each time I raised a camera to my eye I wondered how to make a viewer say, “wow.” What followed were the use of double exposures to tell a more complete story; placing remote cameras where no human being could be; adapting equipment to reveal what could not ordinarily be captured on film. My goal with people was to penetrate the veneer, to reveal the true personality or character. The ideal was sometimes mitigated by circumstances, a lack of time or access. But more often than not what the mind conceived could be translated into successful photographic images. Life Magazine in the 60s sold 8,000,000 copies a week. It was a great honor to be a part of that information highway.”

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Two years on: a photographic tribute to Standing Rock

Two Dine woman hold strong in sovereignty, only speaking their 
ancestral language at Turtle Island, Thanksgiving, 2016


Via HUCK Magazine
April 3, 2019

Two years on: a photographic tribute to Standing Rock
‘The fight isn’t over’



Photographer Ryan Vizzions looks back on one of the largest protest movements in American history: what’s changed since, and what he hopes will come next. (click for full article)



Photographs from Ryan Vizzions: No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock will be view at Monroe Gallery during The Photography Show presented by AIPAD (April 4–7). He will be signing books on Friday, April 5 at AIPAD. A second signing will be held April 12 at Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe.


Saturday, March 30, 2019




Monroe Gallery at the AIPAD Photography Show 2019



Ryan Vizzions: A church flooded by Hurricane Florence stands silently in its reflection in Burgaw, North Carolina, 2018




Santa Fe— Monroe Gallery of Photography will be exhibiting 20th and 21st Century photojournalists and documentary photographers in Booth #706 during the 2019 AIPAD Photography Show. 


Highlights include Ryan Vizzions dramatic photographs from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock in 2016-7; Vizzions will be signing copies of his new book documenting the protest movement “No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock” in the Monroe Gallery of Photography booth on Friday, April 5, 5-7 pm alongside his photographs.


Vizzions photographs of the aftereffects of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina will be also on view together with Stephen Wilkes’ large-format color photographs documenting Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina. These hauntingly beautiful photographs draw the viewer into the larger story of climate change. 


Several photographs of the American civil rights era are coupled with contemporary images from the Black Lives Matter movement, Neo-Nazi protests, and President Donald Trump.


Completing the AIPAD exhibit will be a range of work by Tony Vaccaro, now 96 years old. We are especially excited to have Tony Vaccaro present in our booth for most days of the Show. After photographing WWII as a soldier Vaccaro went on to become one the most sought after photographers of his day and is enjoying a career renaissance.


The term “fake news’ is now commonplace; documentary evidence has been denied or disputed by those in power, and coupled with the US administration's attacks on the press, the work of photojournalists is a reminder that photojournalism is a vital and necessary component of a free society. For further information, please call: 505.992.0800; E-mail: info@monroegallery.com.

For more information including directions to the show, click here.

Monday, March 18, 2019

Ryan Vizzions: No Spiritual Surrender - A Dedication To Standing Rock


©Ryan Vizzions
Protesters face off with police and the National Guard on February 1, 2017, 
near Cannon Ball, North Dakota




Santa Fe--Monroe Gallery of Photography is pleased to announce the release of an important photobook by independent photojournalist Ryan Vizzions documenting the Standing Rock movement. “No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock” will be first released at a special book signing during the AIPAD Photography Show in New York at Pier 94. Ryan Vizzions will be signing copies in the Monroe Gallery of Photography booth #706, on Friday, April 5. A second book signing will take place Friday, April 12 in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the Monroe Gallery. (Books are only available for in-person sales at these event, no orders or reserves.) Monroe Gallery of Photography is the exclusive representative for Vizzions’ fine art photography. 


The 11” x 8.5” hardcover bound book comprises 5 visual chapters with 117 photographs across 166 full color pages. Vizzions’ takes the viewer inside the resistance camps, both showing frontline resistance to the pipeline and conflict with the over 50 law enforcement agencies from over 10 states, as well as the spirit and life of the camp itself. Featured in the book are writings by Joye Braun, Paula Antoine, Bobby Jean Three Legs, Waniya Locke, Jennifer Weston, and Morgan Brings Plenty, -   Oceti Sakowin women -  to provide context and history of the Standing Rock reservation.


Between April of 2016 and March of 2017 one of the largest social justice movements in American history took place in the plains of North Dakota on the Standing Rock reservation. With an oil pipeline threatening the drinking water of the Standing Rock Sioux and 17 million people downstream on the Missouri River, thousands of people ascended upon the resistance camps to stand in solidarity with the Lakota Sioux and oppose the construction of the pipeline. From early spring of 2016 to late winter of 2017, over 15,000 people camped in tipis, army tents and vehicles without the use of electricity in an attempt to raise awareness and prevent the possible contamination of Lake Oahe, the source of drinking water for the reservation. Over 300 tribes and indigenous communities traveled to the camps, as well as nearly 4000 veterans and 500 clergy, to stand in solidarity with the NODAPL movement. 


In September of 2016, Ryan Vizzions traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to stand in solidarity with the movement. Bringing his camera with him, but not intending to be a media source, Vizzions soon found himself using social media to reach over half a billion people with his photographic documentation of events unfolding over the months. With viral reach of one photograph in particular, "Defend The Sacred", Vizzions’ photography helped bring awareness around the world to the movement. Vizzions documentation of his 6 months at Oceti Sakowin camp was selected for the "Photos of the Year" by People Magazine, ABC News, The Guardian, Artsy.net; and as well his work has been featured in the Nobel Peace Prize forums, Adbusters, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, Amnesty International and many more publications as well as books such as "The Militarization of Indian Country" by Winona LaDuke & "An Indigenous Peoples History of The United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. 


100 advance copies are being made available exclusively through the Monroe Gallery book signing events, and proceeds from these releases will be given to the Water Protectors to help against KXL Pipeline, another oil pipeline threatening the same indigenous lands as DAPL. From the total edition of 2,000 500 books are being donated to Water Protector families across the nation as a thank you for standing in support of the water. On April 1st pre-orders will open to allow the public to access the book.

Signed copies are available from Monroe Gallery of Photography.





Atlanta based photographer Ryan Vizzions first discovered his love for exploration and photography in 2010 while on a self discovery trip around the world. In Atlanta, Vizzions has been named Creative Loafing 2014 "Best Fine Art Photographer" (readers choice), 2015 Creative Loafing "Best Cityscape Photographer" (critics pick), worked alongside international brands such as Adidas and Pharrell Williams, along with local companies such as #WeLoveATL, The Atlanta Opera, Van Michael Salon, and covered many music festivals including Outkast's long awaited reunion series "Outkast ATLast". Hosting his own photo exhibition yearly entitled "Wander Never Wonder", Vizzions connects local photographers, and helps provide a platform for local artists to make money off of their craft. Ryan is also involved with the Atlanta community, often donating portions of his art sales to various local charities and foundations. 


Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Finding Beauty, an Interview with Photographer Tony Vaccaro



Via Dressed Podcast






Finding Beauty, an Interview with Photographer Tony Vaccaro
March 12, 2019


Hubert de Givenchy photographed by Tony Vaccaro, France 1961
Tony Vaccaro / @Tony Vaccaro Archive


This week, we talk to the photographer Tony Vaccaro about his prolific seventy-plus year career photographing fashion, celebrity and World War. His subjects include Dovima, Verushka, Hubert de Givenchy, Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keefe. Click to listen (Interview starts after brief commercial)







Monday, February 18, 2019

New Chicago Work: Photographs by Steve Schapiro





Via Gage Gallery at Roosevelt University


Opening Reception and Q & A with Steve Schapiro and WBEZ’s Jason Marck, Thursday, February 21st, 5-7pm. (Q & A begins at 5:30). Exhibition continues through May 9, 2019

Free and open to the public

This is the second of two exhibitions showcasing the historical and contemporary work of internationally acclaimed photographer Steve Schapiro. The first exhibition that closed on December 22, 2018, was devoted to his contact sheets from the civil rights era. This second exhibition highlights his current photographs from the Black Lives Matter and anti-violence protest movements in Chicago. A smaller exhibition featuring his photographs from Chicago’s Misericordia Heart of Mercy home will also be on display.

American photojournalist Steve Schapiro has documented six decades of American culture, from the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy to Andy Warhol’s Factory and the filming of The Godfather trilogy. He has published a dozen books of his photographs, has exhibited his work in shows from Los Angeles to Moscow, and is represented in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum, among others.

Sponsored by The College of Arts and Sciences, Roosevelt University with generous financial support from Susan B. Rubnitz, and Elyse Koren-Camarra, along with a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

A companion exhibition, “Activists and Icons: The Photographs of Steve Schapiro”, is on display at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie through June 23, 2019.

The exhibition features iconic as well as never-before-seen photos of the Civil Rights Movement and cultural and political change-agents of recent history. For more information, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org.


Thursday, February 14, 2019

HISTORY IN PICTURES

Carl Mydans
Female French Collaborator Having Her Head Shaved During Liberation of Marseilles, 1944



February 15 - April 7, 2019

“History In Pictures” is a gripping selection of images that brings home the power of visual storytelling. These unforgettable images are imbedded in our collective consciousness; they form a sort of shared visual heritage for the human race, a treasury of significant memories. Many of the photographs featured in this exhibition not only moved the public at the time of their publication, and continue to have an impact today, but set social and political changes in motion. Several of the photographs in the exhibition are consistently referred to as among the most influential photographs in history; they shaped the way we think, changed the way we live, and some were turning points in our human experience.


Looking at the pictorial documentation of such extraordinary events we often get the impression that we are feeling the pulse of history more intensively than at other times. Although often not beautiful, or easy, they are images that shake and disquiet us; and are etched in our memories forever.

View the exhibition on-line here.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

PHOTO LA FAIR 2019



Monroe Gallery of Photography is very pleased to exhibit at the Photo LA Fair January 31st - February 3rd, 2019, in The Historic Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, CA.

Monroe Gallery will be located near the front entrance of the fair in Booth #A01.

We are especially excited that Tony Vaccaro will be in attendance during the Fair January  in the gallery’s booth. On Friday, February 1, Photo LA will screen the HBO documentary “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Private First Class Tony Vaccaro”. The film tells the story of how Tony survived the war, fighting the enemy while also documenting his experience at great risk, developing his photos in combat helmets at night and hanging the negatives from tree branches. The screening will be followed by a Q & A with Tony Vaccaro. (Seating is limited, tickets required from the Photo LA Fair). Also in attendance will be Ryan Vizzions, and we will be exhibiting his photographs from the forthcoming book “No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock”, in addition to selections of his other work.

Rounding out our exhibit will be important civil rights photographs and historic examples of photojournalism.



Photo LA 2019


Opening Night to Benefit Venice Arts
Thursday, January 31 (6pm - 9pm)

Public Hours
Friday, February 1 (11am - 8pm)
Saturday, February 2 (11am - 8pm)
Sunday, February 3 (11am - 4pm)

 Tickets available here
h