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  • IN CONVERSATION WITH FABIO CATANZARO

    THE STREET LAMP Fabio Catanzaro focuses on the street lamp, predominant in the viewpoint, where its aesthetics outweighs its utility. THE STREET LAMP January 20, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Fabio Catanzaro INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Helping to keep the streets safe, the street lamps' presence usually goes unnoticed by many. Those tall metal constructions illuminate at night and watch over the landscape during the day. In his project THE STREET LAMP, Fabio Catanzaro focuses on the street lamp, predominant in the viewpoint, where its aesthetics outweighs its utility. And in the concept of the landscape, they are part of it, they are fully embedded in any urban context. Fabio is a photographer born and raised in Venice, Italy. His artistic research is developed within the context of minimalism and urban details, borrowing his motifs from everyday life, transforming them into compositional frames of beauty and inspiration. We had the pleasure to interview Fabio where we talk to him about his photography journey so far. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - LEONARDO DA VINCI IN CONVERSATION WITH FABIO CATANZARO THE PICTORIAL LIST: Welcome to The List Fabio! What would you say first drew you to photography? FABIO CATANZARO: I do my work mainly in and around Venice. I would look over the fashion images in the magazines and on websites. I used to look through magazines, not really interested in the articles but the pictures. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? FC: I like to describe my approach and work as an attempt to compose aesthetically beautiful photographs. Photography opened up my eyes to the beauty of the world around me. My approach to photography began a long time ago during my travels and the only thing I've since discovered is that I have an insatiable inquisitive and observational mindset to things and subjects. TPL: What inspired the concept for your project THE STREET LAMP? How did you approach producing the series? Is it an ongoing project? FC: I realised I had a large collection of street lamp pictures of any shape and size...so why not make it a project?! TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to create? FC: While many artists and photographers can teach me, my vision is determined by my own inner drive to observe and capture the world in front of me, as it is. The pictures are the squares to really see what a thing looks like. their details, their shapes. I have always tried to see the beauty in everyday things. TPL: What is the most rewarding part of being a photographer for you? What are some challenges that you have faced as a photographer? FC: It’s all about the chance to capture unique moments and images. I have a great opportunity to take a fine look at the world around me. TPL: Is it impossible for you not to be constantly on the lookout for a moment to be captured? FC: Yes it is possible. That moment is when I sleep. Actually no, even in dreams I have something to capture. 🙂 My vision is determined by my own inner drive to observe and capture the world in front of me, as it is. TPL: How do you educate yourself to grow in your photography? FC: Practice and looking at paintings, photographs in the books, at the museums, art and photo exhibitions. You have to constantly train your eye to see. As you gain experience, you may see more in the same scene, than you saw the first time. TPL: How do you manage a work and photography balance? FC: By focusing on one task at a time, be it editing, emails or returning phone calls. One thing at time is the key. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? FC: Franco Fontana is my favourite photographer. The reason is mainly that he never dwells too much on the technical side of making pictures, but always digs deep into emotions, feelings, and learning how to see things. TPL: What was the first camera you ever held in your hand, brought to eye, and released a shutter on? What is the camera you use now and your preferred focal length? Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What is on your wishlist? FC: I remember it was a Polaroid at the age of 10. At the moment I use a Canon EOS550 with these two lenses – 75-300 mm and 18-200mm. No I don't think the equipment plays a part in achieving your vision, I think that a camera is just a device. It’s a well-trained eye that makes the photo unique. On my wishlist there is professional mirrorless. TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your photography goals? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? FC: One of the projects that I would like to work on is making an album cover for a music artist and publishing my own book. This last one is in the process. So much has changed in just one year, it's hard to predict five. I like to keep my goals simple and real, I expect I’ll be into some genre of photography I haven’t tried yet like commercials or movies. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… FC: I do a lot of non-photography based activities that I find just as satisfying as photography. I’ll mention the most common: I read books, I spend time working through different activities such as fitness and staying healthy." Fabio Catanzaro finds the beauty in the everyday. The team at The Pictorial List would like to thank Fabio for sharing his series of photographs focusing on the aesthetics of the street lamp in its urban context. Explore more of Fabio's work on the website. VIEW FABIO'S PORTFOLIO Website >>> Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth.

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH NESLIHAN USLU

    SOCIOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE Capturing the sociology of everyday life, searching for human faces and emotion, brings Neslihan Uslu closer to photojournalism. SOCIOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE March 11, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Neslihan Uslu INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Photography has the ability to capture and communicate stories in a way that no other medium can. For Neslihan Uslu, a Turkish-born photographer living in Antwerp, Belgium, photography is a way of life. Combining her studies in sociology and photography, her artistic practice is about uncovering the everyday stories of our lives. To her, the nuances of everyday life are the most powerful and beautiful stories that can be told. Neslihan's passion for documentary photography began three years ago when she moved to Antwerp. In her desire to learn more about this new city, she saw photography as the best way to do this. Every week she would focus on a different topic, seeking out the hidden stories that were hidden away in the streets of Antwerp. Her images are a reflection of her passion for looking at both the ordinary and extraordinary through a photographer’s eye. She looks for emotional moments and captures them in an honest and cinematic style, creating a visual dialogue of the beauty of everyday life. Neslihan Uslu's work is a powerful blend of fine art and photojournalism. It is a tribute to her dedication to capturing the subtle stories of our lives and the emotion that lies within them. Her work gives us a glimpse into hidden moments that many of us would never have the opportunity to witness. Through her lens, we can experience the intimate beauty of the everyday and appreciate the unique stories of our lives. “In my opinion, sociology is bold, but photography is even bolder. What I want to express with my photos is to convey events, social problems, situations, sometimes everyday life and routines as much as possible, to show real lives and feelings. I also want to do this by keeping the story plain and simple, without trying to transform or reproduce reality. Photography is already reproducing its reality through the eye of the photographer.” IN CONVERSATION WITH NESLIHAN USLU THE PICTORIAL LIST: Neslihan please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? NESLIHAN USLU: I was born and raised in Istanbul. I have been living in Antwerp for about 3 years. I've been the photographer of the family since I was young. But it was more about taking snapshots and recording everything. I started photography training in AFSAD (Ankara Photography Artists Association) the year I decided to study Sociology at the university in 2000. I feel like I’m still at home while developing photos in the dark room. During my 4-year university education, photography training and projects continued simultaneously. During this period, I also had the opportunity to participate in group exhibitions. My focus on documentary photography was continued with my thesis. This was the breaking point for me. While I was writing my thesis on "Othering and Labeling in Modern Era: Romani people living in Turkey”, I met many people, took many pictures and I had the opportunity to learn a lot about photography. That's why Josef Koudelka's Gypsies project is always very special to me. TPL: Tell us more about the series of images from Chinatown that you have shared with us. Could you elaborate a bit on your thoughts on the concept and how you manifested your ideas into a documentary project? NU: Actually, this short study is one of the first steps of my work on the “cultural importance of festivals and their perception in different cultures” that I want to do in the long run. Festivals are an impressive way to celebrate culture and traditions. At the same time, we come together with our loved ones and share happiness. It is important for cultural solidarity. In addition to this, it can evoke different emotions in different cultures. What I wanted to show was the difference and similarity of the emotions it aroused in people from different cultures through the Chinese New Year celebration. To put it better, it was the cultural perception of this celebration. Before the celebrations, I went to Chinatown many times and observed. That gave me the information about the photos I will be taking: where I should stand, from what point of view I will see. I don’t think I can easily tell a story that I don’t have an idea about, whether it is a documentary or a photojournalism. TPL: Sometimes you combine your Sociology into your Photography. What do you want to express through your photography? And what are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? NU: In my opinion, sociology is bold, but photography is even bolder. What I want to express with my photos is to convey events, social problems, situations, sometimes everyday life and routines as much as possible, to show real lives and feelings. I also want to do this by keeping the story plain and simple, without trying to transform or reproduce reality. Photography is already reproducing its reality through the eye of the photographer. When I think of myself as a viewer, the photographs that awaken a feeling in me, make me ask myself questions and think critically feed me. I want them to inspire similar feelings in those who look at my photos as well. I believe that the more we present to the world, the greater steps we take for change and development. That's why Lewis Wickes Hine, the photographer and sociologist who documents child labor, is one of my idols. Hine's images of working children helped change the nation's labor laws. Through his photography, Lewis Hine made a difference in the lives of American workers and, most importantly, American children. I'm trying to include the connection between the sense of place and people in my photographs. I think this allows me to tell my photo stories more powerfully. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to photograph? NU: I find my inspiration in history. Everything that has witnessed history means a lot to me. Maybe that's why I love to chat with old people and listen to them, to go around antique markets and second-hand bookstores. TPL: Do you have a favourite place to photograph? NU: Everywhere that I can find documentary photos and stories. To be honest, I think the events and the connections you establish make the difference, not places. Nevertheless, the historical streets in İstanbul that start from Istiklal Street and end in Galata Tower are always a journey to my heart and my childhood. I also like to go to the old passages and shoot in low light conditions there. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? NU: There are many photographers and artists. Master photographers always inspire me, teach me to see and narrate. Dorothea Lange, Vivian Maier, Bieke Depoorter, Semiha Es, Ansel Adams, Sebastião Salgado, Alec Soth, Ara Güler, İzzet Keribar, Martin Parr, Josef Koudelka, Emin Özmen, Alex Webb…Their works play a big role in making me who I am. Cinema and my favorite directors also make me look at photography differently. I learn how to use tones, whether in monochrome or in color, and how to take dramatic photographs through cinema. I think it is necessary to keep the intense and fertile relationship between cinema and photography in order to do a good job in photography. Jean-Luc Godard expressed "Photography is truth. And cinema is truth 24 frames a second." I absolutely agree with this. At the same time, the magical world of cinema contributes to my imagination in every way. Vittorio De Sica, Lars Von Trier, Ken Loach, Nuri Bilge Ceylan have a special place in my heart. And all of my photographer friends who live in different places of the world. We also have a photography group called Antwerp Photo Collective in Antwerp and I am inspired by all of them. I find it historically and sociologically important to convey culture from generation to generation. Being able to explain a cultural structure that I know makes me feel both excited and responsible. We're losing so many memories and I want to keep them alive. TPL: Do you have a favourite quote, lyric or saying that especially resonates with you? NU: In an interview, Ken Loach says, “You have to find a story you have to tell. It should be a story that you must tell, not a story which might have been a good one when you tell.” I'm trying to do this with my camera. It takes me into photography, pushes me to research and learn. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? NU: I currently have equipment that I love very much. I use Fujifilm X-T3. I want to have a medium format camera in the long run. I take most of my photos with 35mm f/1.4 lens and 50mm f/1.8 lens. However, sometimes I need different equipment and lenses, depending on the style of the photo I want to shoot. 35mm prime lens is always my favorite. It is a wide angle lens and it helps me have a more accurate perspective. It's enough to capture powerful images. I also have zoom lenses but I rarely use them. I like my camera being small and quiet but I always have to carry a spare battery. I do my analog shots with Nikon F80 and Leica Z2X, even though less often. I'm a fan of cinestill film. TPL: When you go out photographing, do you have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? NU: I often let the images come to me when I go out shooting. Maybe I will encounter something new that I do not know or I will see something I am familiar with, from a different perspective. I keep a sort of photo diary. Sometimes I just give myself homework about a specific theme. I am trying to create a photo series about the theme. For example, from the people who are reading at the café to the street lamps, from the women dressed in green to the bins, from the joy of victory to the someone who seems unhappy, there can be a variety of subjects and emotions. Also, even when I have a concept in my mind and shoot about that, the results I see are different from what I plan. Sometimes this makes me happier, sometimes it causes me to throw everything away and rework the same concept. It helps me to realize long and extensive projects. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? NU: I want to reach more people with my photos. I'm building my website (www.neslihanuslu.com ) and it will be accessible in February. I would like to publish my project that I am working on and dedicate it to my parents. I would like to present my 2nd draft project to a publishing house in Belgium and work on it in collaboration. I have a long way to go, and I love this feeling. Some things will change along the way and this will influence my approach to photography. TPL: You mentioned that you are currently working on a documentary project 'Crimean Tatar Villages.' Could you tell us about it. NU: I find it historically and sociologically important to convey culture from generation to generation. Being able to explain a cultural structure that I know makes me feel both excited and responsible. We're losing so many memories and I want to keep them alive. I am a Crimean Tatar from my father's side. My grandfather settled by migration to Turkey after a difficult period. My father was born and grew up in Eskipolatlı, a typical Tatar village in Ankara. Crimean Tatar is spoken among themselves. This group has a unique culture and lifestyle. This is what I was born in. I listened to the stories and witnessed this culture. I will especially focus on the food culture and domestic life. I will do photo shoots and interviews in Eskipolatlı village in order to maintain the cultural heritage and introduce this culture to future generations. Due to Covid-19, I couldn’t travel to Turkey and I couldn’t make the shots that I had planned last spring. For the moment I continue to do interviews. If everything goes well, I aim to complete my project within a year. Unfortunately, while I was writing my thesis, I could not reach the references that I wanted and I think I know the difficulty and the meaning of this. For this reason, I want it to be a small contribution for those who are interested in the subject. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… NU: Watch movies, spend time with my family and friends, cycle, do handicrafts and travel. Neslihan Uslu's photography is a powerful medium for capturing and communicating the stories of our lives that often go unnoticed. Her commitment to uncovering the hidden and unique moments of everyday life is an inspiring reminder of the beauty that lies within us. We can all learn something from Neslihan's dedication to photography and her passion for telling the stories of our lives. VIEW NESLIHAN'S PORTFOLIO Website >>> Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth.

  • MILDRED ALPERN

    A former high school and college history teacher, who found a passion in photography when the Christos set up the saffron "Gates" in Central Park in 2005. Starting with a 2 pixel Point and Shoot digital camera, I progressed to interchangeable lenses when Olympus introduced the mirrorless E-M5 in 2012. Then in my early eighties, I scoured Central Park and Riverside Park for subject matter, while taking a class here and there to learn new techniques. I have been fortunate to have a number of my photos selected for curated exhibitions nationally and internationally, and I have also had photo essays published in my local online newspaper, The West Side Rag. My submission on "Readers" stems from my fascination with the reader as a solitary and silent figure who is transported into a private world through the mental process of deciphering elaborate markings on a physical surface. Readers assumes varied poses in their temporary state of inactivity and equilibrium. We cannot know the thoughts of readers engaged in their activity. Even their poses do not give them away. Nor do the varied settings in which they pursue reading. It is best neither to disturb nor startle a reader, but to respect the private bubble in which they reside. MILDRED ALPERN A former high school and college history teacher, who found a passion in photography when the Christos set up the saffron "Gates" in Central Park in 2005. Starting with a 2 pixel Point and Shoot digital camera, I progressed to interchangeable lenses when Olympus introduced the mirrorless E-M5 in 2012. Then in my early eighties, I scoured Central Park and Riverside Park for subject matter, while taking a class here and there to learn new techniques. I have been fortunate to have a number of my photos selected for curated exhibitions nationally and internationally, and I have also had photo essays published in my local online newspaper, The West Side Rag. My submission on "Readers" stems from my fascination with the reader as a solitary and silent figure who is transported into a private world through the mental process of deciphering elaborate markings on a physical surface. Readers assumes varied poses in their temporary state of inactivity and equilibrium. We cannot know the thoughts of readers engaged in their activity. Even their poses do not give them away. Nor do the varied settings in which they pursue reading. It is best neither to disturb nor startle a reader, but to respect the private bubble in which they reside. LOCATION New York USA CAMERA/S Olympus E-M5, Olympus E-M5 Mark II WEBSITE http://silverscreenproductions.zenfolio.com/ @MEANDNUBS @MILDRED.ALPERN FEATURES // Readers

  • ANNETTE LANG

    As long as I can think, I have been fascinated by observing people in everyday life situations, trying to make sense of their actions and to understand how they relate to their environment. Even as a child I could be dropped off somewhere, offering me a viewpoint on life unfolding under my eyes and then to be picked up hours later. This fascination took me quite naturally into studying anthropology and cultural linguistics. While others thrive on exoticism, it is normalcy and the underlying web of cultural and personal significations that attract me and provide me with a sentiment of happiness. This also influences my photography. Living in Nice - after Paris the most touristic and best known French city - I try to use my camera to witness life behind postcard views and to celebrate the beauty of everyday people in everyday activities. I love catching the moment never coming back, involving a minute but significant detail. I have recently explored the color blue more intensively to reveal another side of the denomination "Cote d'Azur" - "Blue Coast" used for the Nice region. French law is tricky for street photography - you normally need people's authorization to take their picture. Asking permission beforehand would destroy the candid street shot. I tried to build my own ethic framework around this. Never shoot to ridicule, show the picture as often as possible to the people afterwards and propose sharing or deleting. Today, there are many people I know by name in my neighborhood thanks to photography. If somebody feels beautiful thanks to a candid street shot, it feels like artistic accomplishment for me. In order to give back to the society that sustains me, I have often taken family or business photos for the people I met upon their request. This allowed me to explore a halal butchery and a Vegan restaurant, making me feel somehow useful. ANNETTE LANG As long as I can think, I have been fascinated by observing people in everyday life situations, trying to make sense of their actions and to understand how they relate to their environment. Even as a child I could be dropped off somewhere, offering me a viewpoint on life unfolding under my eyes and then to be picked up hours later. This fascination took me quite naturally into studying anthropology and cultural linguistics. While others thrive on exoticism, it is normalcy and the underlying web of cultural and personal significations that attract me and provide me with a sentiment of happiness. This also influences my photography. Living in Nice - after Paris the most touristic and best known French city - I try to use my camera to witness life behind postcard views and to celebrate the beauty of everyday people in everyday activities. I love catching the moment never coming back, involving a minute but significant detail. I have recently explored the color blue more intensively to reveal another side of the denomination "Cote d'Azur" - "Blue Coast" used for the Nice region. French law is tricky for street photography - you normally need people's authorization to take their picture. Asking permission beforehand would destroy the candid street shot. I tried to build my own ethic framework around this. Never shoot to ridicule, show the picture as often as possible to the people afterwards and propose sharing or deleting. Today, there are many people I know by name in my neighborhood thanks to photography. If somebody feels beautiful thanks to a candid street shot, it feels like artistic accomplishment for me. In order to give back to the society that sustains me, I have often taken family or business photos for the people I met upon their request. This allowed me to explore a halal butchery and a Vegan restaurant, making me feel somehow useful. LOCATION Nice FRANCE CAMERA/S Fuji X-T4, Leica Q2 @LUXTASIA FEATURES // My Cape of Good Hope Archaeological Paradoxes

  • CLAY AND ASHES

    PICTORIAL STORY CLAY AND ASHES A story of resilience — where hands shape heritage, and Abdulla Shinose CK captures the quiet tension between past and present. February 9, 2025 PICTORIAL STORY photography ABDULLA SHINOSE CK story ABDULLA SHINOSE CK introduction MELANIE MEGGS SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Abdulla Shinose CK, an emerging documentary filmmaker and photographer with an academic background in history and political science from the University of Delhi, explores the evolving relationship between tradition and modernity in his work. His practice is grounded in cultural heritage, focusing on communities whose way of life is being reshaped by economic and social change. In Clay and Ashes , Abdulla offers a rare look into a craft at an instable position, where survival depends on both adaptation and the preservation of a fragile but enduring cultural legacy. He focuses on Kumhar Gram, a potters’ colony in West Delhi where artisans have shaped clay for generations. This series captures the daily rhythms of a community navigating the pressures of industrialization, environmental regulations, and shifting consumer habits. Each photograph offers a window into the potters’ world revealing both the beauty of their craft and the precarity of its survival. This is Abdulla's story. Tucked away in the busy lanes of West Delhi, Kumhar Gram, or the Potter's Colony, is a living testament to the endurance of tradition in an ever-evolving city. Founded in the 1960s by families migrating from Alwar, this community of over 700 families has maintained its age-old craft of pottery-making, which remains central to their identity and livelihood. As one meanders through the dust-laden paths of Uttam Nagar, the air hums with the rhythmic spinning of potter’s wheels. The colony's narrow lanes are lined with workshops, where every house is both a home and a production site. Piles of clay sit drying in the open, while artisans carefully craft everything from kulhars to decorative idols. The quiet tapping of fired clay resonates from every corner, each beat echoing the legacy of a craft passed down through generations. Yet, despite the labor-intensive art being central to their lives, the potters’ future is uncertain. The rise of mass-produced plastic and metal items has diminished demand for traditional clay products. Moreover, the colony faces scrutiny from environmental authorities for the pollution created by the kiln operations. These challenges, compounded by caste-based marginalization, paint a picture of a community struggling to preserve its cultural heritage while confronting the harsh realities of modern urbanization. However, amidst these challenges, the spirit of the potters endures. Known as Prajapatis, after the Vedic god of creation, their craft is not merely a livelihood but a vital connection to their roots. In their hands, clay becomes more than just material - it becomes a symbol of survival, resistance, and identity. As the community continues to craft their wares, their struggle to preserve both their art and their place in a rapidly changing world carries on, generation after generation. © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK Abdulla Shinose CK’s Clay and Ashes serves as more than just a visual record of Kumhar Gram’s potters — it is a powerful reflection on the delicate balance between tradition and progress. The community stands at a crossroads, fighting to sustain its craft against industrialization, environmental restrictions, and shifting consumer preferences. Their struggle is not just about pottery; it represents a broader metaphor for cultural heritage in an era of relentless modernization. As the wheels continue to spin and hands mold clay into art, the question remains: Can tradition endure in the face of an uncertain future? view Abdulla Shinose CK's portfolio Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye. UNDER THE CLOUDS Giordano Simoncini presents a visual ethnography of the interconnectedness of indigenous cosmology, material life, and the ecological balance within the Quechua communities of the Peruvian Andes. NYC SUBWAY RIDERS BEFORE THE INVASION OF SMARTPHONES Hiroyuki Ito’s subway photographs reveal a vanished intimacy — strangers lost in thought in a world before digital distractions took hold. THE GHOST SELF Buku Sarkar stages her refusal to vanish. Her photographs are unflinching, lyrical acts of documentation, mapping a body in flux and a mind grappling with the epistemic dissonance of chronic illness. WHISPERS On Mother’s Day, Regina Melo's story asks us to pause. To remember. To feel. It honors the profound, often quiet sacrifices that mothers make, and the invisible threads that bind us to them. BEYOND THE MASK By stepping beyond the scripted world of professional wrestling and into the raw terrain of mental health, Matteo Bergami and Fabio Giarratano challenge long-held myths about masculinity, endurance, and heroism. FRAGMENTS OF TIME Each of jfk's diptychs functions as a microcosm of the city, allowing viewers to experience urban life as constant fragmented glimpses, mirroring the unpredictable nature of human interactions. VANISHING VENICE Lorenzo Vitali’s portrayal of Venice is an almost surreal experience — where time dissolves, and the viewer is left with the sensation of stepping into a dreamscape. CLAY AND ASHES Abdulla Shinose CK explores the challenges faced by Kumhar Gram's potters, balancing tradition and adaptation in the face of modern pressures. ISLAND Enzo Crispino’s photographic series, “Nêsos,” invites viewers into an introspective journey that mirrors the artist’s rediscovery of his voice in photography after a prolonged period of creative estrangement. BEYOND THE BRICKS Amid Bangladesh’s dynamic urban growth, Anwar Ehtesham’s photography takes us beyond statistics and headlines, revealing the hidden lives of the laborers working tirelessly in the nation’s brick kilns. OAXACA In Oaxaca, Tommaso Stefanori captures Día de los Muertos, exploring the convergence of life and death, human connections, and enduring cultural rituals through evocative photographs of tradition and emotion. BEHIND THE PLANTS Wayan Barre documents Cancer Alley residents facing pollution and economic challenges, shedding light on their resilience and the impacts of environmental injustice. THE RED POPPY AND THE SUN By blending archival and contemporary images, Mei Seva creates a visual story that captures the ongoing struggles and moments of triumph for those impacted by displacement and circumstance.

  • ASHISH PATEL

    I am a Delhi based street and documentary photographer. I started doing street photography about 1.5 years ago and my main focus is how to make an ordinary picture look extraordinary. I think I learn from people everyday. I learn also from my mentors. I get so much inspiration from so many people. To me one of the basic characteristics of street photography is candidness. I feel that as a street photographer it is my duty to show the candid street. ASHISH PATEL I am a Delhi based street and documentary photographer. I started doing street photography about 1.5 years ago and my main focus is how to make an ordinary picture look extraordinary. I think I learn from people everyday. I learn also from my mentors. I get so much inspiration from so many people. To me one of the basic characteristics of street photography is candidness. I feel that as a street photographer it is my duty to show the candid street. LOCATION Delhi INDIA CAMERA/S Nikon D5600 @KNOWASHISH FEATURES // Unplanned Moments

  • GABRIELE GENTILE

    I was born in Parma, Italy, where I completed my studies in the humanities and communication fields. I approached digital photography in my thirties, fascinated by the magical power of this artistic medium that is unique in fixing a moment and making it eternal. Time is the focus of my photographic research, the nostalgic time of the past from which to resurrect ancient buildings today in decay, and the time of the future, projected into minimal visions of modern architecture with futuristic forms and abstract colors. Forms, lines, space. Fundamental even in its negative meaning of empty space. In addition to time in space, color. Another key word in my works is colour, not as an adjective or declination of other subjects, but, a subject itself, a feeling and a photographic alphabet. Photography is a mirror of one's inner world; an aesthetic beauty of rules and exceptions. GABRIELE GENTILE I was born in Parma, Italy, where I completed my studies in the humanities and communication fields. I approached digital photography in my thirties, fascinated by the magical power of this artistic medium that is unique in fixing a moment and making it eternal. Time is the focus of my photographic research, the nostalgic time of the past from which to resurrect ancient buildings today in decay, and the time of the future, projected into minimal visions of modern architecture with futuristic forms and abstract colors. Forms, lines, space. Fundamental even in its negative meaning of empty space. In addition to time in space, color. Another key word in my works is colour, not as an adjective or declination of other subjects, but, a subject itself, a feeling and a photographic alphabet. Photography is a mirror of one's inner world; an aesthetic beauty of rules and exceptions. LOCATION Parma ITALY CAMERA/S Fujifilm XT3 WEBSITE http://www.vetroviola.it @VETROVIOLA FEATURES // De-sidera

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH MONIKA K. ADLER

    NOSTALGIA In her own words Monika K. Adler tells a poetic and emotional story of an immigrant's remembrance of a life disrupted by war. NOSTALGIA December 2, 2022 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Monika K. Adler INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Monika K. Adler is a celebrated photographer and avant-garde filmmaker whose work captures the struggles of life, the power of human memory, and the beauty of the natural world. Based in London since 2012, Monika was born in Poland, and graduated from The European Academy of Photography in Warsaw and the Wojciech Gerson’s National School of Fine Arts. After that she moved to Paris, where she photographed the life of the city and its artistic Bohemia, and had her first solo show. Living a vagabond lifestyle and travelling approximately 180 places in Europe and New York, Monika created a photography project called 'Travel no End', a poetic documentary journal of contemplating daily life in its deepest form, comprising of 200 prints. Her transgressive photography series, 'Chernobyl of Love', earned her international recognition for its thought-provoking portrayal of life in the wake of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Her poetic and experimental films have screened at several film festivals around the world, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, and the San Francisco Documentary Festival. Monika uses her lens to capture emotions, revealing the truth behind her lens in captivating ways. She has been praised for her bold and daring approach to photography that pushes boundaries and encourages viewers to reflect on their lives. Her work is a testament to her love of storytelling and highlights her commitment to exploring the power of human connection and memory. As a master of her craft, Monika has skillfully utilized black and white photography to bring to life stories of identity, consumerism, sexuality, and history. Her most recent project, NOSTALGIA, is a powerful exploration of the resilience and strength of immigrants who have experienced war. Her work speaks for itself and conveys a deep appreciation for the art of storytelling. In her own words she tells a poetic and emotional story of an immigrant's remembrance of a life disrupted by war. “Cold earth and blackened gunmetal. Taking with you only the most precious and essential. Cast alone amongst thousands; forced, overnight, to leave their home, their family, their animals, and the places they love; fractious, precarious, putting their lives in the hands of strangers. You still feel it, every moment. It’s hard to forget who you used to be, and what was once yours. The new identity is painful, one described by your nationality, an absence, and the place where your heart still lies. Through memories, you belong to a different place, landscape, climate, and environment. In your homeland the seasons had another smell and colour; the rain felt different, the sun was warmer on your face; the fruit sweeter; the trees rustled unlike anywhere else. These surroundings shaped you, and made you remember who you are, and where you came from. You are a stranger in a new place. People don’t trust you. Under apparent kindness, eventually hostility will emerge. They don’t know if you are a victim or aggressor, but you are indifferent to their judgement. You are tied to your nostalgia, which kills you every day. Overburdened by memory, you dream about a return to the land where you left your soul. But is it possible? Will there be anything to come back to? Can your motherland still your home? Does a past life that was razed to the ground have any chance of being reborn? If so, in what form? How to recognise people you don’t know anymore? Will they recognise you? Will your memory survive in them, or will you be forever a stranger? How to forget those who suffered: killed, raped, displaced, and robbed of everything that is human? For how long should one remember the barbarity of the enemy, and how can we ensure their crimes will not fade from the pages of history books? How will they not become rationalised to people of good will? Will the world forgive and forget too soon? These invaders never respect occupied lands and the human beings who created their own worlds there. Filled with contempt and hatred, they wipe out every shred of past existence. They are ready to uproot every tree, annihilate every home, burn libraries, museums, galleries, bomb opera houses and theatres to install a new order, culture, and new language. Despite the immensity of their cruelty, no punishment has ever befallen them, or will. For history, the death of the masses means nothing. The games of clowns and psychopaths at war one day end. Weaponized human bodies are finite and cannot fight forever. The idea of peace sounds enthusiastic, but rebuilding takes time and wounds never heal. They will live on in the next generations, as trauma, and collective memory. Afterwards, is it possible to return, and to what end? What of those who had to flee somewhere to a foreign land, to start again amongst seemingly friendly people? Emigrant limbo: the state between two different pasts. Arriving in a new land is also history.” “In the end, it appears NOSTALGIA is a state between reality and sleep; a haven, a place of exile and eternal seclusion, where you can immerse yourself in a childhood landscape outside the contemporary narrative. A kaleidoscope. You shift the images in your head, one on top of another, and turn them upside down: colours, smells, sounds, feelings and events mix, one in the other. For a moment, you’re where you belong — no longer a stranger.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MONIKA K. ADLER In this interview with The Pictorial List, we speak to Monika to about how she arrived at this project and her journey into her passion for storytelling in her photography and her films. THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Monika, firstly please tell us something about yourself. What would you say first drew you to photography? MONIKA K. ADLER: I was born in Gostynin, Poland, during the late communist period. When I was 13, I left there to study art in Warsaw. Afterwards, I led a bohemian lifestyle travelling across Europe, and spent time in Paris and New York. Those years shaped me as an artist. Since 2012, I’ve worked in London on photography, video art, and film, and have exhibited and published around the world. I’m also working on a feature film: Sick Bacchus. What first drew me to photography? The pure joy of stopping time. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? MKA: I work in black and white, conceptual, fine art photography that addresses the socio-cultural construction of memory, history and trauma, identity, and sexuality. In this, I’m interested in touching upon unseen truths: the ineffable. TPL: Talk us through the narrative of NOSTALGIA. When and how did this project first manifest for you? What was the inspiration? What journey are you taking us on? What have you learned from this project that has surprised you? MKA: Nostalgia tells the story of an immigrant’s remembrance of a life disrupted by war. The idea for the series came to me on 24 February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and thousands of Ukrainians headed to the Polish border. I felt a deep sense of identification with the experience of other Central and Eastern Europeans, and our shared history, that made me feel alive again, because the perfect world of consumerist London has a way of killing you inside. In the end, ‘Nostalgia’ reminded me of how Polish I am. It was profound. Out of gallery TPL: What importance does storytelling or key themes hold for you in your photography and filmmaking? MKA: Storytelling is crucial. It adds blood to the image and sets it in time and space. I believe in the strong relationship between photography, film, and literature. Everything around us has the potential to become a great story. I love uncomfortable narratives. The act of provocation is a life’s breath. TPL: Could you tell us how growing up in Poland has inspired your work today? What special qualities unique to your home country influence both your photography and filmmaking and the way you portray your community? MKA: History has somehow influenced the work of all Polish artists. We’re part of a bleeding wound which doesn’t heal across generations. I explore our national demons and mysteries through symbolic, dream-like, still and moving images anchored in the collective unconscious. TPL: There is an intimacy with your subjects, an up close and personal engagement. Do you know your subjects? Please tell us about the emotion you share with your subjects, and what this brings to your work. MKA: My subjects are close to me, for example: my husband Aeon Rose, yet their meaning in my work is not personal but universal. They function as everyman/woman. I’m there as an emotionless observer; the viewer’s omniscient eye. In nostalgia, every time you close your eyes, you reach home. You didn’t die, and you will survive. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? MKA: Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Polish writer, painter, philosopher and photographer active before World War I and during the interwar period), Francesca Woodman and Helmut Newton, rebellious and charismatic, inspire me; pure, and honest in exposing their longest shadows and deepest desires. This is the essence of an artist’s life. TPL: What are some challenges that you have faced as a photographer? MKA: I’ve had a hard experience, but I’ve already crossed and drunk from the River Lethe (the river of forgetfulness in Hades) and now I have so much freedom in my work that nothing and no one can challenge me. TPL: How do you educate yourself to grow in your photography? MKA: I feel developing your consciousness is an essential education in any creative work. You see into your inner self and the depth of your being, and it reflects in the images you produce. I study human psychology and metaphysics, and explore progressive dreaming. This establishes a foundation for ideas and shows us how to ‘see’ not just ‘look’ when you release the shutter. Out of gallery TPL: What was the first camera you ever held in your hand, brought to eye, and released a shutter on? For this project you photographed with an Iphone 7+, do you use any other equipment? How does this equipment help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Do you have anything on your wishlist? MKA: My first camera was PRAKTICA MTL3; a gift my father sent me from East Berlin, where he lived and worked in the late 80s. The last 12 years, I’ve used only iPhones. I don’t think that will change soon. TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your photography goals? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? MKA: Nostalgia is a photographic diptych. Next year I’ll work on its second part. A two volume photography book will result. I’m also working on the completion of Sick Bacchus: a feature film. Where do I hope to see myself in 5 years? Let’s leave this open. I love the unknown. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… MKA: I write short stories and screenplays. To create them I study human nature. I read obsessively, not only good literature but also tabloids and historical newspaper archives from 1700s to 2000s. In between them, a brutal, almost vulgar existence merges with something deeper and more elusive. Monika K. Adler's photography and avant-garde films are a testament to her ability to capture the intricacies of human life through her lens. Her work encourages us to reflect on our lives and appreciate the power of human connection and memory. We thank Monika for sharing her intimate and pertinent story. Make a connection and be inspired through her photography. VIEW MONIKA'S PORTFOLIO Website >>> Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. Out of gallery

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH AURÉLIEN BOMY

    THE ART OF HUMAN SCIENCE Aurélien Bomy believes in the opportunity to capture subjects in their environment to bear witness to the beauty and preciousness of life. THE ART OF HUMAN SCIENCE August 16, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Aurélien Bomy INTERVIEW Karin Svadlenak Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Born in Nantes, Aurélien Bomy developed a taste and interest for the arts at an early stage. He is a clinical psychologist. In parallel with this path, he continues an artistic practice in various ways. Discovering and learning from other artists, he finds out how the use of tools that allow him to give a new impulse to his artistic work, in photography and in the creation of animated collages. Starting street photography to keep memory of the feelings he had whilst walking alone in the street or travelling, Aurélien quickly understood that the result was completely different to what was expected because he was creating something completely new that didn’t exist before. Aurélien focuses on standing in front of strangers and shooting pictures of them in cinematic moments and environments. “Street photography came to me spontaneously, first of all as a practice, and as a way of telling, where words fail. I attach great importance to "storytelling". I believe that in the framing and composition of a photograph and in a certain way of capturing subjects and characters in their urban environment, there is the opportunity, beyond the meaning or any message, to bear witness to the beauty and the preciousness of life. I think the mission of an artist is to re-enchant the world; or at least to counteract its disenchantment.” IN CONVERSATION WITH AURÉLIEN BOMY THE PICTORIAL LIST: Aurélien please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? AURÉLIEN BOMY: I am 43 years old. I was born in Nantes where I still live and I practice street photography. I developed a taste for and an interest in the arts very early on. My father is an amateur painter and I had the chance to travel as a child and visit many museums. I am a clinical psychologist. I work in medical hospitals and practices, and I teach this practice to students. I have studied and participated in the work of a Lacanian psychoanalysis association, which has greatly enriched my interest in the arts and human sciences and has contributed to bringing precision to a look, to a living reading. In particular, I participated in editing and publishing work that led me to learn image editing tools. This gave a new impetus to my artistic practice, both in photography and in the production of video collages. It was during a trip to Malaysia in 2013 that this taste for capturing moments of life in the city and urban environment was revealed, and I engaged in a regular practice of candid street photography. I first carried out experimental post-production (post-processing) of my photos on a principle of double-exposures, which led to my first exhibition. I then inscribed my practice in a local social link by investing myself in a photographers' collective and turned to a more classic production by seeking to perfect my shooting technique. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us? AB: I am very inspired by the work of the great masters of street photography such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Helen Levitt, Vivian Maier, Raymond Depardon, Fred Herzog and Saul Leiter, and today, thanks to social networks, I am in contact with many photographers whose work I admire, such as Vianditya Dewanata, Nicolas Millers, Matt Hall, Jaume Creus, Chris McCann, Kalil Ali, Philip Warp, Craig Whitehead, Shane Taylor, Ovidiu Selaru, and others. It's very exciting. TPL: What are some tips or advice you would give yourself if you started street photography all over again? AB: The advice I would give myself if I had to start again at the beginning of my practice would be: "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Go alone! Walk the streets and take pictures! Make mistakes! Fail!... That's how you learn! Be patient! There is always something to learn! TPL: When you are out shooting - how much of it is instinctual versus planned? AB: Some of my photos, especially when it comes to scenes or situations, postures or attitudes, are snapshots that I capture on the spot without thinking. You have to act quickly. At first sight! For other photos (which make up an ever greater part of my practice), I organise a composition. Many of my photos are taken in my city Nantes, others were taken during trips (recently in Arles). More and more, I try to find the right place, the right spot, the best placement, the right angle, according to certain elements (shadows, lights, lines, perspective, cuts and patterns, points of view...) by thinking about the framing, the composition. Then I just have to wait for a subject to pass by this place to press the release. It is sometimes a work of patience. Photography helps me...because this practice is above all a work of the eye, of reading, a way of life. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? AB: I have been using a Fuji XT30 camera for two years and I am very satisfied with it. I discover its potential as I go along, according to the photos I take, and it's especially when they fail that I try to understand why and that I learn new settings that will allow me to do better next time in the same type of situation. I use an 18-55mm (equ. 25-80) lens and would like to acquire a 35mm (equ. 50mm) fixed lens with an aperture of f1.4 in the near future to gain in luminosity and to be able to work better on the depth of field and bokeh. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? AB: My objective as an artist is to continue to learn, to discover and to create images in a certain freedom, according to the encounters I can make. This approach implies allowing the unexpected, the unforeseen, the surprise. It is also a question of not foreseeing too much, not programming too much. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? AB: I have a rather precise taste for a certain form of aesthetics, of ambiance, of atmosphere that I would like to be able to approach. I find inspiration in many photographers and in many films by directors such as Wong-Kar Wai, David Lynch and many others...I would like to move my work in that direction by perfecting my shooting technique, my way of approaching subjects (working on the portrait), as well as my technique of using the equipment and my settings. I would also like to link my photographs with other artistic media such as poetry or literature (illustrating a text) or associate my images with music. I would also like to work with video...all this requires time... To be continued... TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… AB: When I'm not out taking pictures, I like to read, listen to music, watch films, cinema, and share convivial moments with my friends and meet people." Aurélien believes in the opportunity to capture subjects in their environment to bear witness to the beauty and preciousness of life. Thank you Aurélien for sharing your art of human science. Follow Aurélien on Instagram and experience his photography for yourself. VIEW AURÉLIEN'S PORTFOLIO Website >>> Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth.

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH TONY REMARTINEZ

    NEW REALITIES Faced with a unique reality, Tony unifies several of his images, and transforms this reality and presents a new image in a different way. NEW REALITIES February 19, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Remartinez INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Tony Remartinez is a visionary artist who is revolutionizing the world of abstract photography. His work is renowned for its ability to capture the duality of things, images, and thoughts, creating an entirely new reality. Through the use of unique imagery, Tony's work pushes the boundaries of photography, allowing us to view the world from a totally different perspective. By combining several of his photographs together, Tony creates something that transcends the tangible elements of photography, instead presenting us with something more emotional and reflective. With each photograph, Tony invites us to look closer, to challenge our understanding of reality and to explore a totally new realm of possibility. “As the people pass me, I always wonder, where do they go? What do you think? In something that catches my attention and I see the image superimposed with another that has nothing to do with it (at first). And from there, I begin to deconstruct, to search, what? I do not know.” IN CONVERSATION WITH TONY REMARTINEZ THE PICTORIAL LIST: Tony, please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? TONY REMARTINEZ: I was born in a town in Cordoba, Spain, until I was ten years old I lived in Sidi Ifni, then in Zaragoza and currently I have my residence in Sitges. My first memories of photography came from the shoe box where we kept the family photos, which my father made with Kodak Retinette IA (which I still have). I have always liked photography, and I have done photography; but had never learned them, until three years ago when I started posting on Instagram. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? TR: In the people, in the images that pass in front of you when you walk... TPL: What do you enjoy about abstract photography? What do you want to express through your photography? And what are some of the elements that you always try to include in your photographs? TR: Abstract photography allows me to lose myself in other worlds, in other thoughts; the deconstruction of reality takes hold of me when I start to play with images. From the outset I have to say that I don't use powerful editors such as Photoshop or Lightroom. Let's say I work in a 'traditional way' using the iPad with double or triple exposures, with movements of images, recovering elements, which is usually a character in the image. TPL: Do you have a favorite place to photograph? How has the pandemic affected you and your photography? TR: The truth is not, because it is close to the town where I live Sitges, its beaches, its people; then Barcelona in general, wherever I am, I try to shoot. The pandemic has affected me, especially losing some exposure; and evidently not being able to go out and take the camera; but there are many images to take, nothing happens. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? TR: I like to look, photograph, look at images in Instagram, in Art Limited, in digital magazines and with that I am discovering photographers that I like the most and that capture my attention such as Pep Ventosa, Chema Madoz, Stephen Allsopp or Jack Savage. Abstract photography allows me to lose myself in other worlds, in other thoughts; the deconstruction of reality takes hold of me when I start to play with images. TPL: When you go out to photograph, do you have a concept in mind of what you want to photograph, or do you just let the images "come to you", or is it both? TR: I have nothing in mind, I go out for a walk, I love to walk and as I always carry my camera, I shoot; There are days when I shoot compulsively, there are days when I don't shoot anything, but I look and observe, and I keep the image. The images I capture, then I go to the computer, and I look at them when I look at them, I'm not in a hurry. There are images that I have been able to look at over the months, or I am looking for an image for something specific that I know will capture in its day. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the creative world before photography? TR: No, and I don't have photographic studies either. What I do is visit exhibitions of both photography and painting, I am passionate about that. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you achieve your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Describe what you like about your camera and what you don't like (if you do). Do you have a preferred lens / focal length? TR: Currently I have an Olympus OMD, I have always carried compact, small cameras that I can carry in my bag or backpack; I usually carry a prime lens the Olympus 25mm; sometimes I also shoot with the iPad. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or do you hope to see yourself in five years? TR: Honestly, I do not have them, I do not think about it and less to a term of five years. TPL: Is there a special project you are currently working on that you would like everyone to know about? TR: I have in mind, I would like, to make a "fusion" of photography with painting based on Sitges images. Tony Remartinez's work is a testament to his vision and creativity, showing us that there is an entire world of possibility to explore, and that abstract photography can be used to take us to places we have never been before. By challenging us to look closer and to think outside of our comfort zone, Tony's photographs invite us to experience reality in a totally new way. We invite you to join Tony on his journey and explore the potential of abstract photography for yourself. VIEW TONY'S PORTFOLIO Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth.

  • THE INVISIBLE WORKERS

    PICTORIAL STORY THE INVISIBLE WORKERS May 28, 2020 PICTORIAL STORY Photography by Adrian Whear Story by Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link From the crowded streets of Dhaka to the open-air kilns of its richly traditional brick factories, Adrian Whear's experience of Bangladesh was a journey into a world of culture and tradition unlike anything he had ever seen before. As a street photographer based in Melbourne, Adrian eagerly embraced the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh and photograph alongside the members of the Bangladesh Photographic Society. From his encounters with the friendly people of Bangladesh to witnessing their hard-working lives, Adrian's photos speak volumes about the hidden stories of this often-overlooked country. Through his pictures, Adrian beautifully captures the warmth and generosity of the Bengali people, while also highlighting the harsh realities of their struggle for survival in a rapidly expanding urban environment. Join Adrian on his incredible journey as he discovers the unique beauty of Bangladesh and its resilient people. “I would describe my travel experience to Bangladesh as real-world time travel. The Bengali people are economically poor, but so rich and generous in spirit and soul. I felt so connected to them that I wanted my photography to represent them all fairly and honestly. Their stories are mostly hidden from the majority of the Western world, and it is important for all of us to remember that all people are equal and deserve to be treated respectfully. I hope I have achieved this with my photography.” The first couple of days in Bangladesh were spent with Adrian trying to shoot his usual street style in the old part of Dhaka. “Everywhere I went, I would attract attention, people would follow me, and many curious eyes would stare at me. This made it near impossible for me to capture any candid street scenes. I posed for many photos, and I believe that there must be many images of me out there on Facebook in Bangladesh,” says Adrian. Bangladesh is a country with a rapidly growing population of over 160 million people. In the metro area of Dhaka alone there are over 21 million, which has resulted in a rapid urban expansion. This in turn has led to a high demand for cheap building materials, which has led to a thriving brick making industry. The land around Dhaka is full of high chimneys, spewing out thick smoke from the millions of bricks being burnt. The World Bank estimates that the industry here employs over one million people who churn out approximately 23 million bricks every year. These bricks are produced using an old method of mixing soil with water, which is then formed into bricks using wooden frames, then left to dry in the sun before being fired in traditional coal burning outdoor kilns. This process is almost entirely done by hand. Male and female workers of all ages travel from all over Bangladesh to get a job in these factories, where they earn between 300-800 Taka (US$3.50-$9.50) a day. For the poor, life is unimaginably hard in Bangladesh. Adrian remembers seeing the brick factories for the first time. “I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the factories; they were so large in area. I had not imagined them to be so vast. As far as my eyes could see there were bricks and chimneys. The landscape was flat, everything was at ground level except for the large number of chimneys reaching for the sky, spewing out grey smoke. What I immediately noticed was the dust, just so much dust in the air. Initially I did not see many people as they were working down in the open kilns. The first people I saw were the children, who were drawn to the Westerner arriving, whilst their parents were occupied and working.” Adrian virtually had unlimited access to anywhere within the workplace as long as he didn't get in the way. Occupational health and safety are non-existent. The workers are paid by the load, so they really cannot stop to pose for a photograph or stop to talk. Any interruptions to their work could potentially cost them some wages. Adrian prefers to photograph disengaged, as it allows him to enter a mindset where he is fully focused on the environment. He wants to capture the natural essence of the scene. But there were many times when he moved between being disengaged and engaged in Bangladesh, like times when someone would reach out to him. At such times he always tried to respond, whether that was just a knowing glance, a nod of the head or a passing word such as “Hello” or “Where are you from?”. “We would occasionally make eye contact for a short moment to connect, where you would just see and feel their humanity. A couple of workers asked me for some of my water, which I absolutely happily obliged. At the end of the day, it was time to relax. The older men would drink milk tea and smoke, the younger men would start up a game of cricket or soccer, the girls would start a skipping game, and the older women would gather together, talk and watch,” he explains. Seeing all this made Adrian put the camera down to connect with the Bengali people as much as he could, drinking milk tea, complete with six sugars and joining in and talking with the men. English is widely spoken. He joined in nightly games of cricket, and as soon as word got around, more people showed up to join in. “I soon became a combination of Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist! With the young girls I would skip rope and teach them clapping games. I'm sure I missed out on many great photographic opportunities, but I have memories that are priceless from these evenings.” Adrian was often captivated by the vibrant colours of the textiles worn by the women in total contrast to the bland background and brutal reality of the scene. In the West we are conditioned in many ways to still see this type of work as being 'mans' work, so the sheer brutality of this type of manual labor becomes even more obvious when you see the women and children also being exploited. Women workers suffer from a lack of secured employment, low and discriminating wages, and exploitative working conditions. Their way of life is perpetually in a state of continuous change. The women comprise about half of the total workforce of every brick factory. They generally are the wives of the male factory workers and usually take up the employment to improve the standard of living for their families rather than to achieve any independent status for themselves. The children cannot be left home alone and usually the older children will help the parents out in whatever ways they can. Although school is compulsory, parents often do not send their children, because out of the necessity for another meager wage to help support the family. Most of the girls in the age group 10-16 work alongside their mothers and the boys in the age group 10-17 work mostly in the loading and unloading from the truck. According to the United Nations Human Development Index 2019, Bangladesh ranks in place 135 of 189 countries for which report data exist. The mean years of schooling are 6.1. By comparison, Australia ranks in place 6 and has 12.7 mean years of schooling. Singapore ranks in place 9, with 11.5 mean years of schooling. “For me, it was very emotional to see the young girls carrying out this type of manual labor. At that time of travelling to Bangladesh, my daughter in Melbourne was 17, so I would often compare her life to her counterparts in Bangladesh,” says Adrian. © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear Out of gallery © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear © Adrian Whear Out of gallery Whilst this story focuses mostly on Adrian's experience visiting the brick factories in Bangladesh, he also visited one in Kathmandu, Nepal. There are also thousands of brick factories located in India and Pakistan, all with very similar stories. Children everywhere, no safety equipment, illness, withheld wages, pregnant women, and no clean water. Workers are treated like slaves, and it has been going on for many decades. It is time for governments to take responsibility and end this exploitation that rightly should not be happening in the 21st century. view Adrian's portfolio Read an interview with Adrian >>> Instagram >>> Sources used in this story - World Bank Wikipedia | Bangladesh A. Mandal, Women Workers in Brick Factory: Sordid Saga from a District of West Bengal, 2005 United Nations The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye. UNDER THE CLOUDS Giordano Simoncini presents a visual ethnography of the interconnectedness of indigenous cosmology, material life, and the ecological balance within the Quechua communities of the Peruvian Andes. NYC SUBWAY RIDERS BEFORE THE INVASION OF SMARTPHONES Hiroyuki Ito’s subway photographs reveal a vanished intimacy — strangers lost in thought in a world before digital distractions took hold. THE GHOST SELF Buku Sarkar stages her refusal to vanish. Her photographs are unflinching, lyrical acts of documentation, mapping a body in flux and a mind grappling with the epistemic dissonance of chronic illness. WHISPERS On Mother’s Day, Regina Melo's story asks us to pause. To remember. To feel. It honors the profound, often quiet sacrifices that mothers make, and the invisible threads that bind us to them. BEYOND THE MASK By stepping beyond the scripted world of professional wrestling and into the raw terrain of mental health, Matteo Bergami and Fabio Giarratano challenge long-held myths about masculinity, endurance, and heroism. FRAGMENTS OF TIME Each of jfk's diptychs functions as a microcosm of the city, allowing viewers to experience urban life as constant fragmented glimpses, mirroring the unpredictable nature of human interactions. VANISHING VENICE Lorenzo Vitali’s portrayal of Venice is an almost surreal experience — where time dissolves, and the viewer is left with the sensation of stepping into a dreamscape. CLAY AND ASHES Abdulla Shinose CK explores the challenges faced by Kumhar Gram's potters, balancing tradition and adaptation in the face of modern pressures. ISLAND Enzo Crispino’s photographic series, “Nêsos,” invites viewers into an introspective journey that mirrors the artist’s rediscovery of his voice in photography after a prolonged period of creative estrangement. BEYOND THE BRICKS Amid Bangladesh’s dynamic urban growth, Anwar Ehtesham’s photography takes us beyond statistics and headlines, revealing the hidden lives of the laborers working tirelessly in the nation’s brick kilns. OAXACA In Oaxaca, Tommaso Stefanori captures Día de los Muertos, exploring the convergence of life and death, human connections, and enduring cultural rituals through evocative photographs of tradition and emotion. BEHIND THE PLANTS Wayan Barre documents Cancer Alley residents facing pollution and economic challenges, shedding light on their resilience and the impacts of environmental injustice. THE RED POPPY AND THE SUN By blending archival and contemporary images, Mei Seva creates a visual story that captures the ongoing struggles and moments of triumph for those impacted by displacement and circumstance. Out of gallery

  • SHARON EILON

    I am an Israeli based photographer and an electrical engineer by profession. Following a health crisis, I found myself seeking treatment in India and went through a life-changing journey. After returning home healthy I decided to realise my dream and learn photography. I am fascinated by the world of photography ever since, and I am especially keen about people photography of any kind, whether it is portraiture, street photography or culture photography – anything reflecting the humanity that we all share. For me, the act of photography has a meditative quality, feeling unified with the world around me at the present moment. SHARON EILON I am an Israeli based photographer and an electrical engineer by profession. Following a health crisis, I found myself seeking treatment in India and went through a life-changing journey. After returning home healthy I decided to realise my dream and learn photography. I am fascinated by the world of photography ever since, and I am especially keen about people photography of any kind, whether it is portraiture, street photography or culture photography – anything reflecting the humanity that we all share. For me, the act of photography has a meditative quality, feeling unified with the world around me at the present moment. LOCATION Tel Aviv ISRAEL CAMERA/S Sony Alpha 7iii WEBSITE https://1x.com/SharonEilon @SHARON.EILON.PHOTOGRAPHY @SHARON.EILON.1 FEATURES // Pursuing the Dream In the Spirit of History House of Mirrors

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