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My photography journey started close to 20 years ago, when a colleague of mine saw some of my amateur pictures and said that they are better than the product photography that was made for them by professionals, which was very flattering to hear. Next thing I knew - I was doing all photography for our company. This then escalated to me being invited to freelance as a magazine photographer, which was a very steep learning curve, as I was getting all kinds of assignments and had to learn to think very fast on my feet and adapt to all kinds of environments and situations. Many photography experiences later, from wedding to advertising - this never became a full time job. I found that doing commercial photography that has specific client demands and timelines is rarely compatible with one's creative expression, for which I loved photography in the first place. And then if you have to do it all the time - it's very easy to burn out. That's why I scaled it back to just personal projects using the film camera, so that I can just enjoy it for myself... But somehow this exact thing has resonated with so many people, way beyond any of my commercial work. ANDREW ROVENKO My photography journey started close to 20 years ago, when a colleague of mine saw some of my amateur pictures and said that they are better than the product photography that was made for them by professionals, which was very flattering to hear. Next thing I knew - I was doing all photography for our company. This then escalated to me being invited to freelance as a magazine photographer, which was a very steep learning curve, as I was getting all kinds of assignments and had to learn to think very fast on my feet and adapt to all kinds of environments and situations. Many photography experiences later, from wedding to advertising - this never became a full time job. I found that doing commercial photography that has specific client demands and timelines is rarely compatible with one's creative expression, for which I loved photography in the first place. And then if you have to do it all the time - it's very easy to burn out. That's why I scaled it back to just personal projects using the film camera, so that I can just enjoy it for myself... But somehow this exact thing has resonated with so many people, way beyond any of my commercial work. LOCATION Melbourne AUSTRALIA CAMERA/S Mamiya RZ-67 (for Rocketgirl Chronicles) WEBSITE http://www.rovenko.com @ROVENKO FEATURES // Rocketgirl Chronicles View of the World

BOOK MELBOURNE UNMASKED March 19, 2021 BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY from the Australian Association of Street Photographers Inc. TEXT Bill Lacey SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Through adversity comes new ideas. And in a small way, the Australian Association of Street Photographers Inc. (AASPI) have found a way to meet the challenge of the moment and produce this stunning alternative to what should have been a live gallery event that was sidelined by Covid. Their new book “Melbourne Unmasked” presents a remarkable array of street photography that features some of Australia’s finest practitioners of the art. Focusing exclusively on one city, the book presents a well rounded and compelling collection of street shots by 67 photographers arranged by various themes and styles who have focused on the eclectic hub that the city of Melbourne is today. If you are a fan of street, then there is something in this for you. The photographs are presented without attribution and require referencing an index. It’s an interesting choice, which at first may put you off but you soon realise they had made the right decision. The most important thing is the shot itself, not who took it. AASPI is a collective voice that promotes street photography in Australia and to provide Australian and Asian Pacific street photographers the opportunities to promote their work. The original idea behind it started in 2010 between Benard Peasley, Ell Pixell and Georgie Hart on Redbubble (an Australian online art marketplace), where they put a call out to all Victorian street photographers to gauge interest. Known then as SITHOM (Shot In The Heart of Melbourne) Benard, Ell and Georgie put together their first exhibition in June 2012 with 27 street photographers at the prestigious Victorian Artists Society in Melbourne. In 2015, the collective registered as the Australian Association of Street Photographers Incorporated (AASPI), and since then they have grown to have two major exhibitions per year, regular photo walks and their monthly Speakers Series on YouTube. SITHOM continues today under the curation of joint efforts of all the association's members. In August, the AASPI will be celebrating their 10 year anniversary with their annual SITHOM exhibition at Victorian Artists Society with a plan to invite previous presidents, past and current committee members to exhibit their work and provide both a contemporary and retrospective exhibition showcasing the 10 years of SITHOM. Future plans for the photography collective are to embrace their identity as Australian Street Photographers, support their interstate members, exhibit their work and provide more opportunities for their members to come together as a community. Currently they have members in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, and New Zealand. With approximately 150 members, they are welcoming new members from around Australia and are always on the lookout for innovative ways to showcase members' work and to support those new to street photography. The book Melbourne Unmasked is a candid homage to the people that define this eclectic Australian city everyday. It is a stronger show of SITHOM and the AASPI's talents with members' selected shots, curated as a team effort, which in the book's layout flow together with an intent of each shot complimenting and adding value to the next. If you are interested in buying the book, you can preorder a copy of "Melbourne Unmasked" through AASPI's website. Photos have been provided by AASPI and remain the copyright of their respective photographers - Brent Lukey, Susan Brunialti, Mike Reed, Adrian Whear, Suzanne Phoenix, Andrea Esposito, Joseph Chow, Emma Yench, Russell Mason, Renata Filippi, Frank Cecconi, Ben Rook, Stephen Bowater. VISIT AASPI CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team.

LIFE IN MY CITY Street photography is a way of self expression for Grzegorz Zukowski, a reflection on his more personal thoughts about life in his city. LIFE IN MY CITY April 19, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Grzegorz Zukowski INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE In a world filled with chaos and disorder, one street photographer finds solace in expressing himself through his lens. Grzegorz Zukowski, a Polish photographer, has been capturing the essence of everyday life on the streets of his home country for years. His photographs are unique in their composition and subject, capturing moments that are both accidental and deliberate. For Grzegorz, street photography is an opportunity to explore his personal beliefs about life in the city, while also celebrating its beauty and complexity. Through his work, Grzegorz is able to express his love for simplicity, order, peace and convenience, while finding freedom and spontaneity in the unexpected. With each photograph, Grzegorz crafts a story that allows viewers to immerse themselves in his perspective and experiences. Through his lens, he reveals a deeper understanding of the world and offers a glimpse into his personal journey as a street photographer. “Freedom is the strategy of making chance and necessity subordinate to human intention. Freedom is playing against the camera. We, photographers, if we want to show human condition, include what is informative in images, we have to smuggle human intentions into the program that are not predicted by it, force the camera to create the unpredictable, the improbable. I definitely want to say that I photograph to feel free.” IN CONVERSATION WITH GRZEGORZ ZUKOWSKI THE PICTORIAL LIST: Grzegorz please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? GRZEGORZ ZUKOWSKI: I live in Warsaw, Poland and I was born in this city. I'm now in my thirties. I became interested in photography when I was in my twenties as a student at the University of Warsaw. As I chose the specialisation of reportage and documentary. The lecturer on these workshops was one of the better known photo editors in photographic community in Poland back then, Iza Wojciechowska. Iza encouraged many people to become photographers and I'm very proud to be one of them. I think she had great teaching abilities and her reactions on our photographs and assignments she gave us, and how we talked about photographs were very inspiring. She noticed my photographs and perhaps felt how eager I was to do them, and after one of the workshops we had a short chat about photography. I think even though she simply said to me - "you see the light, so you can photograph and perhaps see what others can't" - reflecting on this, it has meant a lot to me. So I photograph. I also attended photographic studies of Polish Association of Artist-Photographers in Warsaw in 2011-13. After that I grew my interest in street photography, which I think came to me naturally as I was photographing in my spare time. But I think also because I was always interested in observing people in an urban space. I am a graduate of political science and journalism on the University of Warsaw. I was working as a Public Relations Specialist and now I am a Digital and Social Media Specialist with Amnesty International. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? GZ: Everywhere. Maybe it will be a banal to say, but I just think the inspiration is everywhere and it is hard to tell for me where is that one specific place where I can find it. One finds it definitely a careful observation of oneself. The creative act, whether in photography or in any other creative genre, I think always includes the necessity to look at our own emotions, our personalities, question how we react to the things we interact with and why are we doing something. So the inspiration is our life experience and reflection on it. For example recently, the Women's Strike demonstrations in Warsaw were some great inspiration for me as strong emotions related to them as something unfair and cruel was happening, in another sphere perhaps looking at the paintings of Edward Hopper as they might represent the feelings of loneliness, but overall the most important is constantly discovering and knowing yourself. TPL: What is it that you enjoy about street photography? Explain your technique? What do you want to express through your photography? GZ: When doing photography or street photography in particular, I am drawn by it with a sense of acting freely as an observer, but also as a careful participant that is safe to absorb the emotions of the people around. The camera is my shield. Though Gordon Parks, great photographer, mentioned that for him his camera is his weapon, but I like to add that having a shield is also important. Not only you want to point the camera to something that matters to you, but also it might help you to be present, to protect you from what might be harmful, disturbing for you. What interests me in the frames is the simple composition and the subject - city and the people. When I organized my solo exhibition "Simplicity" in Warsaw in 2016, I wondered about urban life and doing street photographs, because of the contrasts I see. On the one hand you can say that urban life is spontaneous, random and chaotic. Similarly the photographer, when doing street photography, relies on intuition and on catching changeable, decisive moments. On the other hand human, when creating the urban space, is drawn by the need of order, convenience, simplicity. As well the street photographer in the frames arranges the space, catching elements, which are making a coherent composition. I wonder on this contrast – between something accidental, free, intuitive, spontaneous and the need of simplicity, order, peace and convenience. Furthermore, perhaps to put it more personally, one can say the big city determines feelings of loneliness and alienation from other people and what is around us. At the same time the urban life does not make us feel alone, constantly making us connect with others. I think I am searching, when doing photography, for more or less quite scenes, being aware of loneliness, and at the same time doing photographs to feel connected, catching human interactions and creating relations between them each other and the space around them. TPL: What is it like photographing on the streets of Poland? Do you have any favourite spots to go photographing? How has the pandemic affected you and your photography? GZ: I live in Warsaw and mostly I photograph here, from time to time I travel to other cities to spend a day in order to just have a walk and photograph. Of course pandemic and frequent lockdowns and restrictions made me to be more careful about that. At some point a strict lockdown made Warsaw's city center even a desolated, strange place that was very interesting to photograph. Of course usually I'm drawn by the places where people are present frequently, though I can seek scenes that are showing quietness in these busy places. What I think about the cities in Poland is that they're still an urge to modernise and in many ways it is good as it brings some improvements and revitalisation of attractive places. It is also good to see when local communities are taking the initiative to make their space more friendly and convenient. On the other hand there is always something in the past of these cities that is perhaps something more original in a eastern European manner, that contrasts with the need to modernise, in example when looking at the older architecture or sadly at the advertisement chaos. All of that of course can be used in street photographs. I think that by most of the time, even if I'm influenced by the place I am photographing I hope to catch something universal out of it and the context of a place is not as important as the general subject - people and the city. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? GZ: When attending photographic studies of Polish Association of Artist-photographers I spent a lot of time photographing in black and white and such great photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Josef Koudelka stayed with me and I always like to get back to the books I have with their photographs. On the other hand there are masters of color like Saul Leiter or Fred Herzog that I really like. And to mention present photographers Nick Turpin's series "On the Night Bus" and Damian Chrobak "Everywhere I look I'm being looked at", also resonates with me. But there are so many great photographers nowadays that there wouldn't be a space here to mention all that I admire. Maybe to emphasize that also other genres are important I recently got back to Edward Hopper's paintings and his sense of urban space and alienation of people in it sparks something in me or even gives me an impression of similarities in how he saw the space and how I photograph. TPL: Do you have a favourite quote, lyric, or saying that especially resonates with you? GZ: Not so long ago I encountered Vilém Flusser's philosophy of photography and it resonates with me how he underlines freedom as the key idea in photography. Let me quote here a short excerpt from "Towards a Philosophy of Photography": "We observe, all around us, apparatuses of every sort in the process of programming our life through rigid automation (...)." In short: Everything is becoming absurd. So where is there room for human freedom? Then we discover people who can perhaps answer this question: "photographers. (...) They are already, in miniature, people of the apparatus future. Their acts are programmed by the camera; they play with symbols; they are active in the 'tertiary sector', interested in information; they create things without value. In spite of this they consider their activity to be anything but absurd and think that they are acting freely. The task of the philosophy of photography is to question photographers about freedom, to probe their practice in the pursuit of freedom(...)." In short: Freedom is the strategy of making chance and necessity subordinate to human intention. Freedom is playing against the camera. These are words from 1980s. I think they're even more up to date now in even more technologised social life, where we are not creating images but we are being programmed by the them constantly. We, photographers, if we want to show human condition, include what is informative in images, we have to smuggle human intentions into the program that are not predicted by it, force the camera to create the unpredictable, the improbable. I definitely want to say that I photograph to feel free. What interests me in the frames is the simple composition and the subject - city and the people. 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? GZ: I usually keep my equipment light and I limit myself to one lens. From some time I've been doing street photographs with a mirrorless camera and with a fixed 35mm manual lens. That just suits me fine. When I'm out on demonstrations and events I change to a lens that gives me wide angle but with a zoom, like 18-55mm. I rarely use flash, but if yes, only on events, like demonstrations. I think I have a need to keep it simple and not to be distracted by sophisticated gear. In limiting yourself you might find an easier way of achieving what you want or what you need. 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? GZ: What there is at the beginning might be only an idea of a short walk. On other occasions I plan carefully where to go, from one point of a city to another, than to another and then elsewhere. Of course it happens that I'm asked to photograph someone or I'm photographing a specific event, so I can prepare myself more carefully by writing down what I want to get out of it. But all of these are more preparing myself to what is unexpected, that I can't foresee, while more important it seems is the road or the journey and not the goal itself. I like to think when photographing that I'm turning my mind to meditative kind a state, having a flow, that helps to calm down, observe, be careful, to absorb and be present. Actually what comes afterwards, when selecting and editing the photographs I've made, is the stage when a concept thinking happens. Because the photographs in this moment can reveal to me some emotions I might also have to what I photographed and a stream of thoughts and loose associations might occur and all of that can lead to decisions what photographs to publish, what to put in black and white and what in color, what might go in a series of some kind or what to leave for a while. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the creative world before photography? GZ: No, though when being a student I thought that writing will be a genre that I'll be improving and by this way trying to express myself. But discovering photography changed that. Though I like comparing these two things even if they seem completely different, yet we often put them together when illustrating a text with an image, or often say that one image can say thousands of words. I think Elliot Erwitt put it right, when he mentioned that a good photograph is when you want to get back to it over and over again like to a catchy line of a great poem. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? GZ: The street photography is a kind of a constant project for me, a stream of consciousness, that sometimes reveal to me some ideas. Like in 2016 I organized my solo exhibition titled "Simplicity" with some of my black and white photographs. I hope that in the future I'll publish them in some form in a concept, idea, that perhaps is evolving slowly, even when answering your questions in this interview. Meanwhile it seems that the situation in Poland will be a source of photographs, when social and political situation makes people to go out on to the streets, protest and organise in movements. That is something that also draws my attention and I want to be part of it, definitely as a careful observer. The people and their emotions is something that I'll try to turn my attention more to as I like to portray people and perhaps I do it in most of the times candidly anyway, but I think I'll try to improve posed photography. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? GZ: Perhaps nothing specific at this very moment, but with a stack of a lot of material to do something with. The women's strike protests in Poland and in general demonstrations throughout recent years has brought so many interesting stories, emotions to tell, that I will think about it more and still try to document it. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… GZ: To be inspired, I like to have a cup of a good coffee, good read, good movie series to watch and great music to listen to and perhaps that all comes down to a banal, that I like to think the world is beautiful. PORTFOLIO read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

SHUBHODEEP ROY My work explores human dignity, migration, labour, faith, and climate vulnerability, with a strong sense of social responsibility. I work closely with communities facing displacement and economic precarity, often through long-term, immersive storytelling. My project The Migrant Workers of India received international recognition for its portrayal of migrant labourers during the COVID-19 crisis. I am currently working on my long-term project Varanasi: Celebration of Life and Death. At 24, I have participated in nearly 50 international exhibitions. My work has been shown at United Nations conferences, the European Union, photo festivals, and global events, and has received more than 22 international awards. My photographs have been published worldwide, and I am currently a foreign correspondent for Progressive Street in Italy. LOCATION Kolkata INDIA CAMERA/S Nikon D5600 @SHUBHODEEPROY.IN FEATURES // Life Along the River

PICTORIAL STORY RESILIENCE July 10, 2020 PICTORIAL STORY Photography by Anwar Sadat Story by Karin Svadlenak Gomez SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Anwar Sadat is a Kenyan photographer whose vibrant scenes from his Kibera neighbourhood tell poignant stories — stories of community, of life's everyday joys and difficulties. Anwar (known by his artist name Sirdart ) photographs both beautiful portraits of people in his community, and raw, in your face, street reportages. I interviewed him about life in Kibera. He wants us to see the oneness of people, their resilience, their hope for a better tomorrow, their willingness to take initiative, and their humble pride. Kibera is famous for all the wrong reasons, when there are so many good reasons the world should know about it. Kenyan photographer Anwar Sadat calls it home. He regularly sets out to take photos that show life in the largest slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in all its facets. Anwar's photos go beyond the skin deep. Yes, they show a hard reality, but also the many residents who live life with a purpose, strive for improvement, and have a positive outlook. Growing up there, he neither liked nor understood it. “I couldn’t wait to move out,” he admits. “But as I grew older, I began to understand and see the reality of the people of Kibera and just how hard they work to achieve something better for themselves and their loved ones.” It is this reality that inspires his documentary photos. Kibera, which in the Kinubi language means forest or jungle, started as a settlement in the forest outskirts of Nairobi, when the British colonial government allotted plots of land there to soldiers returning from service with the British Colonial regiment, the 'King's African Rifles' in 1904. Today it is the largest urban slum settlement in Africa, with population estimates varying wildly between approximately 170,000 to as many as a million people. Most of Kibera's residents live in extreme poverty. And although it is by no means the only slum in Nairobi, it is the most famous, probably for sheer size. AN UPHILL STRUGGLE Kibera's problems are many. The ground in much of Kibera is literally composed of refuse, and dwellings are often constructed atop this unstable ground. The environment is polluted from a lack of sanitation and waste management infrastructure, there is violence and crime, and residents often suffer from illnesses caused at least in part by poor nutrition and the inadequate hygiene facilities. Good work is hard to come by. There have been and continue to be many upgrade projects by Non-government Organisations (NGOs) and the nearby United Nations Habitat programme. Moreover, there are also many locally grown initiatives to improve the lot of the community's poorest. It is an uphill struggle. Sometimes, small accidents such as an overturned candle can lead to tragedy. In such cramped conditions, fires can spread quickly. Anwar witnessed such an event in 2019. Residents of a section of Kibera were left to count their losses as an early morning fire consumed all that they called their own. “I have seen instances before where the community of Kibera has come together to support each other during a crisis, but none of them were like this,” he tells us. “Fire can be a good slave but a terrible master. As terrible as it can be, it can never beat the spirit of the people of Kibera.” But amidst all that, life goes on. Anwar's photos show people living their busy lives, children going to school, a group of girls performing a dance. Every day, men and women wake up early, mostly small business owners, go to Gikomba market (a larger flea market) to restock. Most of these individuals run their business from Toi market, another flea market located on the outskirts of Kibera. Although Kibera has a railway station, most people take buses and the small and not altogether safe matatus (minibus) to get from place to place. HOPE People in Kibera are keen on education. Most education centres in Kibera are informal or not regulated by the government, but there are also some government-run schools. At the Kibera School for Girls, which is run by a non-governmental organisation, they even hold mock United Nations leadership conferences, aimed at teaching girls about leadership and ways of finding solutions as leaders. The PCEA Emmanuel Education Centre in Kibera makes do with the most basic of resources. All except the youngest students share a classroom, and the teachers have to teach different levels simultaneously. And yet, they hosted an International Day of Literacy event in 2019, when Anwar visited the school. The teacher, Benson Arita, was trying to multitask between being part of the event and making sure lessons run as usual in class. The school received an honorable mention for its dedication to teaching. Basic necessities we take for granted are not necessarily available — things like sanitary towels for young women. A dance performance organised by a ballerina school in Kibera helped to raise awareness on children's talents and needs, while at the same time raising funds to purchase a three-month supply of hygiene products for 1000 schoolgirls. People find creative ways to deal with their needs. Sports are also a very important aspect of life in Kibera. “Mostly it’s a good thing because it helps keep the youth busy away from crime and drugs,” says Anwar. There are many sports associations and organisations. Few players make it to play for national or even international teams, although it is every player's dream to play outside Kibera. But facilities are rather limited. The best equipped basketball court in Kibera belongs to a secondary school. SELF-MADE Many initiatives to improve the lives of Kibera residents are homegrown. For example, in the face of the current added difficulty of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which is especially hard to contain when people are living in such close proximity, some residents are using their initiative to deal with the crisis. Daniel Owino, a musician and music producer popularly known as Futwax by the locals, is using his talent, popularity and influence to sensitise his community. Kibera Town Centre is also stepping up the fight to raise awareness in the community on the necessity of protecting themselves and others against the spread of the virus. One of the more creative ways to encourage new initiatives is the annual 'Miss' and 'Mister' contest. The show focuses on promoting talent and nurturing leadership skills. All the contestants are trained for a one-month period in modelling skills and leadership. The actual contest involves a fashion show where the contestant's model professional wear, casual wear, traditional wear and evening wear. But the contest is much more than a fashion show. Contestants must come up with ideas that could help resolve some of the difficult challenges facing the people of Kibera. Judges — experts in different fields — select the winners based on how comprehensively they answer the questions and on their level of creativity. Mr. Kibera 2019/20, Dennis Andere, hopes to represent his people in the government in the next elections, to be held in the year 2022. And in the words of Miss Kibera 2018/19, Wendy Ojalla "If only the world knew better, Kibera would not be defined by structures, but by the beautiful people who live there." Her idea was to find ways of giving Kibera's handicapped people a voice and have a chance to discuss access to equal opportunities. Given a chance, Kibera's handicapped could acquire the livelihood skills to allow them to live independently. The Uganda/Kenya Railway Line, a metre-gauge railway system dating back to Colonial times, passes through the centre of the neighbourhood. © Anwar Sadat George has a desire to learn but he rarely has time to attend classes because he works as a casual laborer. These jobs are physically exhausting, and he uses his spare time to distract himself with his friend's laptop. © Anwar Sadat When fire goes on a rampage through the neighbourhood, people jump to help. © Anwar Sadat © Anwar Sadat © Anwar Sadat © Anwar Sadat Matatus are privately owned minibuses that are an important means of transport in Kenya. © Anwar Sadat © Anwar Sadat Children learning at the PCEA Emmanuel centre. © Anwar Sadat Girls learning leadership skills. © Anwar Sadat Dreaming of playing basketball. © Anwar Sadat Football on rough ground. © Anwar Sadat Contestants in the Miss and Mister Kibera contest. © Anwar Sadat He is a winner: Mister Kibera 2019/20, near his house. © Anwar Sadat What Anwar wants us to take away from this story is that this is a vibrant strong community. "I have experienced love, care, friendship, family, humility and respect in Kibera. I have learned to always work hard even with no hope, because hope is not always there. Kibera is not a desirable place to stay, it is most often forgotten and neglected by the government development projects. But having lived here long enough, I believe in the power of a sense of oneness and the people's will to create a better tomorrow for themselves regardless of all the difficulties and obstacles." Where there is hope, there is initiative, and where there is initiative, there is a chance to overcome obstacles. This is what Anwar's documentary work shows very impressively. view Anwar's portfolio Read an interview with Anwar >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. 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.

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. 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. August 10, 2025 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY David Gray INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE David Gray is not the kind of photographer who simply shows up to take the shot. His work emerges from time, presence, and attention, the three things that can’t be faked or rushed. A Scots-born photographer and writer now based in New York City, David’s creative path has taken him across continents and subcultures, from the remote mountains of Colorado to the chaotic pulse of urban protests, from the car-laden backroads of Florida to quiet corners of public institutions. What ties his work together is not subject matter alone, but an enduring commitment to observe carefully and connect deeply, whether with a place, a political moment, or the people who inhabit both. David is co-creator and one half of the photography team for Driver’s Journal, a print publication documenting America's love of automotive culture. His photography has appeared in publications such as The Sun Magazine, and he’s currently developing a series of large-format, 200-page print volumes that reflect his long-form, immersive approach. His most recent monograph, a portrait of New York City, was released by Grand Editions in late 2024 and quickly sold out, a testament to the resonance and reach of his photography. David’s recent residency as Photographer-in-Residence at Brooklyn’s Central Library took him deep into the life of an institution that serves both as cultural anchor and community lifeline. That project, soon to be released as a major photo essay and exhibition, pushed him to document not just people but systems that support, fail, or quietly sustain everyday life. His ongoing series, What Do We Want? reflects his interest in how public life unfolds during times of protest. Photographed over the course of a year in New York City, the project looks beyond the expected images of marches and signs. Instead, it focuses on the everyday moments that shape these events, listening to people in conversation, the presence of police, the reactions of bystanders. Through this quieter approach, David explores how social and political movements are experienced on a human scale. As a Green Card holder, David is also aware of the personal risks that come with documenting civil unrest. And yet, his journalist’s training and ethical grounding propel him to bear witness anyway. He follows the story, even when he’s unsure where it ends. In the conversation that follows, David reflects on the emotional and ethical dimensions of image-making, the balance between truth and care, that guide his practice. His commitment to walking five to ten miles a day through New York City, builds his vocabulary of visual narratives that live in books, exhibitions, and memory. “As a journalist and photographer, you’re always ‘other’ in a sense: never belonging, always witnessing. And as a Green Card holder, I’m aware of my status here as a guest. I love NYC, and by extension, the USA: what it stands for and its potential and principles are unique, and special. I would hope that journalists who are reporting objectively and fairly will always be welcome, but I am aware that one misunderstanding could imperil my path to citizenship. I can’t not document my adoptive city and country, though, because what seems mundane to us now, or awful, will to future generations be as fascinating and alien as those old subway pics we marvel at, with the graffiti and Guardian Angels.” IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID GRAY TPL: The title What Do We Want? is both evocative and open-ended, yet grounded and rooted in protest, still resonating far beyond slogans. What does that question mean to you personally, and how does it shape the way you framed the images in the series? How do you translate not just the action of protest, but the emotional undercurrent of grief, rage, hope, resilience, then turning a single image, into a lasting frame? DAVID: I remember student protests in Scotland, where someone would always shout, “What do we want?” and someone else would yell back the answer(s). “And when do we want it?” the original shouter would reply. “Now!” the crowd would shout. And that would repeat endlessly, growing in volume and passion. There’s something primal in most of us, that wants to be part of a crowd, with a clear purpose and magnified power. And I was and am fascinated by the way ordinary people become extraordinary when they have a crowd at their back and a megaphone in their hand. Every emotion is heightened, and every detail exaggerated. These protests, though, had simple political goals. What I see here are protests that are umbrella movements for anger. And in the case of the Drag March and the Queer Liberation March, a defiant wish to be seen and counted. Whatever the motive, protests take courage, and we should all be proud of that, even if we don’t feel the same passion for a particular cause. TPL: As this series begins to take on new forms, as an exhibition, as an essay, what kind of impact or dialogue do you hope What Do We Want? sparks? What do you want viewers to carry with them? What is their takeaway, what is yours? DAVID: Documenting protest in a city where people co-exist despite vast differences, is to witness the social compact fray at the edges. It offers a glimpse of what lies under the surface. For the most part, protests in America are a way for people to blow off steam without burning it all to the ground. It’s democracy’s wonderful pressure valve. That’s what I’d love viewers to see, though what people take from my pictures is entirely up to them. We all see things differently: the trick is to appreciate that, and to know the power of a photograph. All too often protests are reduced to a sensational image of violence. Don’t get me wrong: flashpoint moments are news, and have to be recorded, but they can play into the hands of those who would equate protest with violent revolt. My own takeway? Ordinary people in extraordinary times need a last recourse, and that is public protest. TPL: Has your experience with What Do We Want? opened new directions you want to explore, whether in protest photography, or in entirely different spaces, cultures, or themes that you feel drawn to next? As you look ahead, are there questions you haven’t yet resolved through your work, about people, power, or place? Does that continue to drive you forward creatively? DAVID: I will keep taking protest pictures, as I sense this is only the beginning, as we respond to political and social change. I look forward to seeing what protests and marches might evolve into, if anything: I sense that it takes a lot to make Americans go out on the streets and protest, and it’s hard to know if there’s the appetite for much more of that. I always have other projects simmering. I’d love to take my recent Brooklyn Public Library residency and apply that approach to a great museum or gallery. And my passion project – to record and understand why people act as they do, at the 9/11 Memorial Pools – may or may not come to a conclusion. I’ll also keep taking pics on, around and of The High Line, and the people who crowd onto it and often look like they don’t know why they came. And then there’s my ongoing project on the subject of how people behave around art…I could go on…basically there’s no limit to the things I want to shoot. In tandem, I’m in talks about a bi-annual photo pictorial of my NYC shots, with themed sections, and a long read by an author whose love affair with the city will serve as a counterpoint to my images. That may need a sponsor who adores NYC as much as we do, so who knows. TPL: Has documenting these protests and spending so much time immersed in the city’s charged political and cultural life, changed your understanding of America? What about your place within it? Looking back on What Do We Want? - how has this experience shaped the way you see the country, the city, and yourself? As this chapter of your work evolves, what will propel you forward from the streets, the people, and the moments that made you raise your camera? DAVID: I’ve barely scratched the surface of NYC, let alone America. But seeing why people protest, and how (and how often they don’t protest at all) has given me some minor insight into what makes society here work. I think that within the USA, individual states differ more than European nations do (language aside) and that people are struggling to find a meaningful national identity. There’s nothing like pointing a camera at someone to let you see their true character. And – touch wood – I’ve found the overwhelming majority of people here to be good hearted and kind, even if they don’t always know how to express that kindness to fellow Americans (and would-be Americans) who they don’t understand. The experience has also reminded me of the need for balance: there are people who seek to paint the great cities as anarchic hellholes, whereas I see in NYC eight-million-something people all mostly getting along and seeking to sleep safe in their beds at night. So, I’ll also keep shooting dogs sleeping in cafes and people doing wheelies on bikes: the everyday stuff that society runs on. TPL: Can you share the backstory behind one photograph that deeply moved you? Perhaps an image where something in the atmosphere, gesture, or energy instantly connected with you and made you press the shutter without hesitation? DAVID: Of the protest set it’s perhaps the quietest one. It’s a close up (and a little soft) night shot of a woman turning to look past me, and her eyes are glistening. The full story of what was happening at that exact moment isn’t clear in the image (so in that sense it was a flawed shot, though aren’t they all?): it was the end of the Drag March, and a crowd had gathered outside the Stonewall Inn to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It sounds a little corny, but there and then it was one of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed. I think she was overcome with emotion as the song ended, and looking for someone, but I might be reading too much into a moment that was gone in a flash. That’s the power and danger of a still image: we can interpret it any way we please. TPL: When you’re photographing someone in a moment of intensity, vulnerability, or confrontation, especially in communities outside your own, how do you balance the responsibility to tell the truth with the need to protect dignity? What guides you in making those calls with both care and clarity? DAVID: I always have in my head the question, “What would that person’s mother think of the photo you’re about to take?” Of course I’ve no way of knowing the answer, and if I only took photos, I was sure someone’s mum would love, I’d hardly ever press the shutter button. But as a rhetorical question it helps remind me of my purpose and responsibility. I’m not a fan of ‘poverty porn’, where the picture only serves to show someone at their lowest point, with no greater purpose than titillation. Equally, I’m not telling anyone else what to take or not to take: documenting the human condition is vital. But every photo posted affects how we see ourselves and our society, and we have a duty to be honest about our motivation for portraying things the way we do. And that’s never more acute than when photographing communities outside of our own. I wouldn’t assume everyone loves the pictures I’ve taken of them, but I hope they would agree I treated them with respect. TPL: Walking five to ten miles a day through New York has become part of your creative rhythm. How has that daily practice shaped the way you see and photograph protest, or the city more broadly? Has it helped you tune into the unspoken cues or emotional currents of public gatherings? DAVID: It means I stumble across things that I would otherwise have missed. I was recently on the way to the Memorial Pools at the 9/11 Museum as part of yet another of my obsessions: documenting how people behave at a sacred site. En route, I walked into an anti-ICE protest downtown, that was because of its spontaneity and anger, one of the most memorable. A few days later, on a hot summer night, a similar protest stalled at a particular junction, and the mood abruptly changed for the worse. There were more police than protesters, and they became my focus: their formations and intent, a sense of watchfulness and implicit warning. Living in the city means always having a sense of the mood, and the knowledge that things can change quickly. That said, of all the cities I’ve lived in, I rate NYC as the most gregarious and open. As a Brit, you have to lose the urge to waffle politely when asking a stranger for help: “Excuse me, sorry to bother you but…” will ensure you get nowhere. If you get to the point, though, people will go out of their way to assist. Or at the least, tell you what they think at full volume. TPL: Your images often focus not on spectacle, but on what’s unfolding quietly at the edges: bystanders, police, stillness in the quiet tension that surrounds moments of public unrest. What are you hoping to reveal by including these often-overlooked perspectives? How do these peripheral figures add to the emotional and political complexity of the story you're telling? DAVID: When you look at protesters and police in NYC, it’s easy to see utterly opposing sides. But if you could see connections as an overlay, we’d see all kinds of associations, and commonalities. The police shape the protests and contain them, and give them a sense of purpose as well, since they are often the visible arm of the very things the protesters are on the streets to protest against in the first place. When you have tens of thousands of protesters, and thousands of police, plus marshalls, legions of bemused tourists and intolerant motorists all crammed together, you see people at their most alive. The center of a protest is mostly predictable and vivid. The edges are where the dynamic is most flexible and most important, because it’s where protesters and police and passersby all meet, rub up against each other. A thousand little dramas play out on the periphery. I love to be able to move in and out, to see the faces of police from inside the protest, and to frame the protesters from the point of view of the police and bystanders. TPL: Before your camera even leaves your side, what speaks to you first in a new place, whether you're halfway around the world or just across the city? Is it the rhythm of people, the quality of light, a flicker of tension? What tells you there’s something worth listening to with your lens — across cultures, across borders? DAVID: I just start walking. I have a very poor sense of direction, and it takes a lot of miles before I have any idea where I am. My niece visited NYC recently, and wanted to go to the Met Museum, which is one of my favorite places. It went well until she started to ask me to show her specific items, and it became clear I had no idea how to find any of them. “How can you be lost when you come here all the time?” she demanded. “Not knowing exactly where you are isn’t the same as being lost,” I explained. Amazing things happen when you don’t have rigid expectations. TPL: You’ve photographed everything from rural car culture to public institutions to protest marches. What connects these projects for you? Is there a thread or question that runs through all of your work, regardless of subject? DAVID: People. The way people react to their environment and each other is endlessly fascinating. I’m intrigued by everyday interactions and fleeting emotions. I could look at faces all day long, but often shoot people from behind, because that places the viewer in the driving seat, almost like a first-person video game, and rather than being distracted by trying to read too much into an expression, we see what the subject sees, and where they’re going. We then make all kinds of mental connections and guesses based on conscious and unconscious cues and biases. Landscapes – particularly urban ones – without people are also fascinating. We do not, as a species, tread lightly on the environment. TPL: Many of your projects, especially your long-format print volumes, require patience, endurance, and deep focus. In a fast-paced media world, why have you chosen to work in this slower, more sustained way? DG: There’s a nostalgia for a time when images and words were tangible things. I do a lot of digital work, but I’ve never been busier on print projects than right now. The printed page, and the ability to juxtapose images and build a narrative through the order and presentation, is unmatched. I was fortunate recently, to experience something that people like us seldom do: witnessing others react to my work in a public setting. I had promised to deliver an issue of a print mag I’d shot for, to a legendary automotive designer (it’s always a pleasure photographing people who are passionate about whatever they do). I did so quietly in a hotel bar, and to my horror, he made a fuss, gathering a collection of his world’s great and good around, so they could go through the magazine page by page. That is pretty much my worst nightmare, as I hate being the center of attention. So, being quizzed on every shot, and having people (unasked) articulate what they took from it and ask me why I had shot things as I had, was excruciating. It must have taken 20 minutes, that felt like hours, and I was a puddle of sweat by the end. But what an honor, to see your work through others’ eyes. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

TRUE LIFE IMPRESSIONS Matthias Godde's meticulously curates photographs that blend observation with introspection, resonating with profound emotional depth and infused with wit, irony, and occasional absurdity. TRUE LIFE IMPRESSIONS June 14, 2024 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Matthias Gödde INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Welcome to an exploration of the photographic world crafted by Matthias Gödde, a photographer whose work delves deep into the raw essence of human emotion with unparalleled authenticity. Matthias' photography transcends mere documentation; his photographs serve as windows into the very souls of his subjects, inviting viewers to contemplate the complexities of the human experience. Eschewing contrivance and artifice, his images offer unadulterated glimpses into the everyday moments that define our lives. For him, it's the people who inhabit these spaces that truly breathe life into his compositions. Through meticulous curation and a keen eye for detail, Matthias crafts series that resonate with profound emotional depth, blurring the lines between observation and introspection, infused with wit, irony, and sometimes even absurdity. Reflecting on his journey into photography, Matthias traces his passion back to a childhood encounter with a book on photography techniques. Despite initially grappling with the technicalities, the allure of capturing the visible world through chemistry left an indelible mark on him. Fueled by a voracious appetite for visual exploration, he immersed himself in the works of luminaries past and present, drawing inspiration from the rich kaleidoscope of artistic expression. With over four decades of experience behind the camera, he continues to evolve his craft, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of subjects and themes. From street photography to urban landscapes, his work remains rooted in the tradition of new color photography while embracing the ever-changing landscape of contemporary visual culture. Join us as we explore the mind of Matthias Gödde, delving into the inspirations, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped his remarkable photographic journey. “Today I see myself as an author photographer. A term that was coined in the 80s by the art critic and curator Klaus Honnef. I have been working on very different topics for years. If, like me, you have been taking photographs for 45 years, this is a tried and tested means of having different seedlings to trigger your gaze and perception again and again. My roots lie in the new color photography of the 80s with its street and urban landscape photography is something I still feel strongly connected to today.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MATTHIAS GÖDDE THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Matthias…welcome to The Pictorial List! Let's start by telling us about yourself. What would you say first drew you to photography? MATTHIAS: Looking back, I had no choice. When I was 10, I came across a small book about photography techniques from my older brother. It was one of those long summers that, as a child in the 60s, made the holiday season seem endless. So, with an abundance of time, I read several chapters about film processing and how to put negatives on paper in a darkroom. At the time, I didn't really understand much of what the content of the book was trying to tell me. However, the magic of the latent image that can preserve the visible world with the help of a little chemistry has remained to this day. Reading this book was the seed that took several years to sprout. There was a drugstore in town that sold darkroom supplies, but my pocket money wasn't enough. However, that same year I bet my entire pocket money on the main prize at a lottery booth at the fair and won a Kodak Instamatic 133, which became my companion on school trips. My interest was directed towards art by an uncle who painted and knew how to copy old French and Flemish masters. An intensive engagement with painting and graphics began. I got everything I could find in illustrated books about it from the city library. Because of the desire to see, I could never get enough. This also later impressed my parents, who enabled me to study visual communication at the age of 17. Here the seed sprouted and germinated. It took less than 4 weeks, and I was just hanging out in the photo workshop. The university library was a mecca for good monographs about American and European photographers. My eyes didn't get a break. In a small circle of like-minded people, we met at the cinema at least twice a week. Taken together, the best preparation for refining your own vision. TPL: How do you think your background in visual communication has influenced your perspective as a photographer? MATTHIAS: It was something like a Studium Generale. I was just 17 years old and came from a middle-class family and a small-town environment. The company of teachers and students, many a little off track, looking better than I knew it, was pure inspiration. The freedom to try out different creative disciplines alongside theoretical subjects such as art history and perceptual psychology are formative influences. Getting to know different aesthetic positions opened up a field of possibilities that still resonate today. TPL: What role does storytelling play in your photography, and how do you balance narrative with visual aesthetics? How do you approach the process of capturing the essence of human emotion in your photographs? MATTHIAS: This is a good question but not an easy one to answer. Many of my photos are still strongly influenced by the aesthetics of cinema. This is where the roots and key to my photography lie. It is these moods and the rhythm that are inherent in films and literature. When I look at documentary photos, I always make up a story about them. I see the scenes with their history and their future. Of course it's all fantasy. This creates new images in your head. Photos are the congealed part of a story. TPL: What advice would you give to aspiring photographers who are looking to develop their own unique artistic voice today in photography? MATTHIAS: Neglect the flood of digital images. Check out photographers' monographs. There is more excellence here. TPL: Can you share any memorable anecdotes or stories from your experiences as a photographer? MATTHIAS: In the 90s I drove across northern Italy with a friend to photograph the wonderful grave sculptures in cemeteries. After a week we had a day at the beach. When we got back to the camper, it had been broken into and our equipment and all the exposed films had been stolen. We only took our 35mm cameras with us so we wouldn't miss any subjects on the beach. However, large and medium format cameras were also among the stolen goods. We then visited the same cemeteries again to repeat the recordings. A fallacy. Photographs are always tied to a singular event. All newly taken pictures were missing something. The magic of the first perception was lost. TPL: Looking back on your journey as a photographer, what are you most proud of accomplishing, and what do you hope to achieve in the future? Any projects or ideas you are excited to explore? MATTHIAS: When I look back, all the photos form a quartet of memories of my life. I mix and re-arrange the images every now and then. It's always a different version of me. This quartet is still missing a few cards. Let's see which ones come along. When I look back, all the photos form a quartet of memories of my life. TPL: Can you share any insights into the technical aspects of your photography, such as your choice of equipment or preferred shooting techniques? MATTHIAS: I took analogue photographs until the 2000s. 35mm, medium format and large format were used depending on the subject. Today it is mainly digital full format and medium format cameras. A Mamiya 7 was my constant companion for a long time. A viewfinder camera has the great advantage that you can look beyond the subject and are not immediately limited to a section that excludes everything else. Even with digital cameras, I rarely look through the electronic viewfinder. I keep an eye on the scenery via the screen. TPL: Could you describe your creative process from conceptualization to execution when working on a new series? MATTHIAS: It's more of a chaotic approach. If you, like me, have been photographing for many years, you'll always end up with images that suddenly fall out of the camera outside of your own redundancy. Vague fragments that slowly develop as sediment into something that can be walked on. I often feel bored with certain topics. Perception is an open system. TPL: How do you choose your subjects or scenes to photograph, and what draws you to them? MATTHIAS: It's something like a matrix. They are reflexive and anticipatory reactions. A mélange of everything seen from dreams, books and films filtered through heart and experience. TPL: What is your takeaway from the work you do? In what ways has your photography evolved over the course of your career, and what factors have influenced these changes? MATTHIAS: In the analogue phase of photography, it was hardly possible to give the images a special look beyond the choice of film material and photo paper in post-production. The possibilities today are comparable to painting. The color grading and the selection of papers and printable substrates seem limitless. The way of taking photos, however, is almost unchanged. It seems to be something native to the language. If you haven't learned to dream in another language, your worldview and world experience are set. TPL: If you could work with any photographer for a day, from any time period, who would that be and why? What would you want to learn from them? What would you like to share with them? MATTHIAS: There is this saying: “A real voyage of discovery does not consist in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” I would want to have a very long conversation with him about how he thinks about life. After all, we don't photograph what we see, but rather what we are. TPL: When you're not creating your visual stories, what does Matthias Gödde do for leisure? MATTHIAS: Waiting for the time when I can create visual stories. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

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. 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. October 5, 2025 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Rivka Shifman Katvan INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE With eyes that listen and a heart that sees, Rivka Shifman Katvan moves through the world noticing what most overlook. Her focus goes beyond mere observation, finely tuned to the subtle truths that emerge in the spaces between moments. Her camera carefully listens to her subjects, scanning the room for visual narratives that reveal the authenticity of the experience. The shutter is released when she becomes attuned to the delicate interplay of emotion and energy unfolding around her. Rivka has mastered the ability to capture the hushed whispers and sacred intimacy of a Broadway dressing room without disturbing its delicate balance, whether in moments of calm or in the energy and movement that fill the space behind the scenes. For decades, she has slipped behind curtains, both literal and emotional, quietly witnessing moments of transformation. Not posed or performed, but naturally unfolding. “I became like a fly on the wall,” she once reflected about her early backstage days, “walking on tiptoes, learning how to be discreet in other people’s private spaces.” There is a remarkable gentleness in her approach combined with a profound presence. This blend of quiet curiosity and unwavering attention has become her unmistakable signature. What gives Rivka’s photography its quiet power is that it never demands attention. It reflects a presence that waits, observes, and belongs without needing to announce itself. She doesn’t insert herself into the frame. She listens, she waits, and in time her presence becomes part of the atmosphere, unnoticed, but essential. That’s when something honest appears. A weary actor meeting their own gaze in the mirror. A dress being fastened with deliberate tenderness. A brief glance shared just before the lights go up. These are the moments she catches. And somehow, without ever breaking the stillness, she lets us feel as if we were standing there too. In a world that so often confuses volume with presence, her images remind us that the most lasting stories are told in whispers. Rivka’s eye is compassionate, steady, honest, and quietly insistent. That rare combination opened doors to places most photographers never see. For years, she was a constant presence behind the scenes of Broadway and the Tony Awards, not just as a fine-art photographer, but often the only one there. Even more remarkably, she was one of the very few women documenting those private, high-pressure moments. She didn’t force her way in. She was invited. And once inside, she made herself small enough to disappear, allowing others the space to truly reveal themselves. Her presence carried a quiet authority. “It taught me how to put people at ease and gain their trust,” she says. And you can feel that trust in her images. There’s no posturing, no performance. Just people in transition: between characters, between emotions, between selves. Over time, her body of work has earned recognition from major institutions like MoMA, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the International Center of Photography. But her true legacy lies in the intimacy of the moments she’s preserved. When you look at Rivka’s photographs, you don’t just witness a moment. You become a silent witness to something deeply intimate. You step into an unspoken narrative. Whether she’s capturing Elizabeth Taylor collecting herself before making a storm of an entrance in The Little Foxes, or catching a quiet breath shared by ensemble cast members just offstage, Rivka transforms still images into emotional time machines. It’s not just her camera that creates this effect but her ability to see, looking with both critical precision and creative intuition. Her process blends instinct and intellect. She watches carefully, waits quietly, and frames what others might overlook. The result is not simply a record of events but a distillation of feeling, with each image offering a glimpse into the emotional truth of a fleeting moment. Her book Backstage: Broadway Behind the Curtain (Abrams, 2001) is exactly what its title promises. It is a lyrical archive of hidden theater history, rich with atmosphere, emotion, and the fleeting beauty that disappears the moment the spotlight shines. These are not just glimpses from the wings, they are quiet portraits of transformation and humanity. We see actors in moments of reflection, crews at work, and the subtle pauses that come just before a performance. In the end, it is not the subject that drives her. It is something deeper. A restless sense of curiosity. A strong trust in intuition. A constant desire to see the world with fresh eyes, never dulled by repetition or routine. She moves through the world with the same attention she brings to her work. Focused, thoughtful, and completely present. This interview is not only a look into Rivka Shifman Katvan’s photography. It is also an invitation to see as she sees. With clarity, generosity, courage, and care. “I never allowed my theater work to define me as an artist. I carry my camera everywhere, capturing vignettes and moments that speak to me.” IN CONVERSATION WITH RIVKA SHIFMAN KATVAN TPL: You have described your early backstage work as becoming “like a fly on the wall.” How did you develop that sense of discretion in such high-pressure environments, where nerves, egos, and performance energy run high? RIVKA: When I first came backstage, I could immediately feel the pressure, the energy, the stress — it was all around me. At the beginning, I didn’t direct anyone or use flash. I simply observed and made myself invisible. I didn’t ask anyone to pose. I walked quietly, “like a fly on the wall.” Eventually, people forgot I was even there — and that’s when I could truly capture the real, unfiltered moments. TPL: Many of the moments you capture are deeply personal and often unguarded. How did you develop the discretion needed to move through such high-stakes environments — like Broadway dressing rooms — without disrupting the energy? And more importantly, how did you build the kind of trust that made people welcome your presence, rather than want to swat that “fly on the wall” away? RIVKA: By respecting them — and their space. I never imposed myself. After a few visits, people started feeling safe around me, and that trust grew naturally. Every time I returned, I would bring prints from the previous shoots and give them as gifts. They loved that. Trust happens when people feel they’re not being judged. It’s about creating safety. TPL: Looking back to your 1979 thesis at the School of Visual Arts — did you ever imagine it would blossom into such a long and defining relationship with theater? Or did you always see it as a starting point for something larger? What advice would you give to seniors at SVA today? RIVKA: No, I never imagined it would lead to so many years backstage. I simply followed what I loved. I was curious — and I kept going. One professor gave me advice that I followed: “Go out and shoot at least two rolls of film a week.” I would pass that advice on to students today — even in the digital age. Go out, shoot, and shoot again. Something magical will happen. Follow your heart, let your curiosity lead the way, and your work will grow. One day you’ll look back and realize you’ve created a body of work. TPL: You’ve spent years photographing some of the most iconic actors and artists of our time, yet you’ve said you don’t let “well-known images define you.” How do you keep your voice distinct when photographing both the celebrated and the anonymous? RIVKA: What interests me is the human being — not the celebrity. I always look for the person behind the image. That’s especially true in my Backstage project. I’m not chasing fame — I’m looking for authenticity. TPL: There’s a strong thread of surrealism in many of your street and reflection series — especially the mannequins and window reflections. Do you see these images as narrative or abstract? And what draws you to that border between real and imagined? RIVKA: I’ve been photographing reflections since I was a student at SVA. For me, these images are both abstract and narrative. The way mannequins merge with NYC buildings creates its own story — and over time, they also reflect the transformation of the city itself. I work in black and white for this series because it strips away distraction and focuses the image. I don’t digitally manipulate the photos — I use Photoshop the way I would use a darkroom: just dodging and burning to bring out the best in the image. TPL: You have spent much of your career working in environments that have historically been shaped and controlled by men, from the backstage worlds of Broadway to moments of raw emotional openness that are rarely documented with such sensitivity. Do you feel that your gender influenced how you were perceived or the access you were given? And how have you navigated or shifted those dynamics over time? How have you helped to change those old narratives? RIVKA: No, I don’t think my gender played a role. What mattered most was respect. I respected the people and their space, and over time that created real connection. When I’m backstage, I feel the excitement and energy of the actors, and that energy flows into my creativity. TPL: Do you see any parallels between your creative process and performance art? Do you feel in the moment you become part of the fabric of the performance itself? RIVKA: Yes, definitely. When I’m backstage, I feel the excitement and energy of the actors, and that energy flows into my creativity. I may not be on stage, but I’m very much a part of what’s happening. TPL: What do you wish more people understood about the backstage world? Is there a myth you’d love to dispel or a truth you wish was better known? RIVKA: Some people imagine backstage is all glamour. But it’s actually a high-pressure environment that demands incredible energy and focus from the actors. It’s real work — intense, emotional, and vulnerable. TPL: Your collaboration with your husband Moshe on the Artist Portrait series is a different kind of intimacy — artistic and relational. How does working with someone so close to you shift or deepen your creative process? RIVKA: Working with Moshe is very special. We have different styles, but we understand each other deeply. He helps me see things I might miss, and I do the same for him. There’s a strong mutual trust, and that kind of support makes a big difference in the work we do together. TPL: Your series Bare Exposures brings together images some audiences may recognize alongside others never before publicly shown. What inspired you to present this collection now, and what meaning or feeling do you hope it conveys to viewers? RIVKA: This series is part of a fundraising project for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The actors volunteered to be part of it — they chose to share their presence and their bodies for something meaningful. That touches me deeply. It feels like a big family coming together for a cause, and I’m honored to be part of that. I donate photographs to the auction each year because I believe in the work they do. The actors are proud to be involved, and I hope viewers can feel their strength and generosity. TPL: The title Bare Exposures suggests both physical and emotional vulnerability. Without giving too much away, can you talk about what you were exploring thematically in this work? RIVKA: I was exploring openness — not just physical, but emotional. These are actors, but in this project, they’re not performing. They’re simply showing up as themselves. There’s a quiet strength in that kind of vulnerability. It’s simple, but powerful. TPL: After decades of work across themes, genres, and geographies, what still surprises you when you raise the camera? What keeps you inspired — not just to shoot, but to see? RIVKA: I’m still surprised by small moments. A glance, a gesture, a flicker of emotion — those things never get old. What keeps me inspired is curiosity and trusting my instincts. As long as I stay open, the work keeps evolving. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

FROM MY WINDOW Danielle L. Goldstein started photographing the life she could observe from her eighth-floor apartment during the concurrent crises. FROM MY WINDOW October 28, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Danielle L. Goldstein INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE As New York City, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, went into quarantine lockdown in March 2020, Danielle L. Goldstein, a street photographer from the city, found herself unable to document life in the streets as she normally would. Refusing to be held back by the limitations of quarantine, Danielle made an effort to capture her world from her eighth-floor apartment window. What began as an attempt to document life during these unprecedented times soon became an unexpectedly poignant journey as Danielle observed the intersecting crises of Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement with both a heavy heart and hope. Through her photography, Danielle discovered how her fellow New Yorkers were connecting with one another amid isolation and how a sense of resilience and humanity still prevailed. “It speaks to New Yorkers' resilience and how much we care for and look after one another, even if from a distance.” IN CONVERSATION WITH DANIELLE L. GOLDSTEIN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Danielle please tell us about yourself. When did you become interested in photography? DANIELLE L. GOLDSTEIN: I don’t come from an art background at all. I was a history major in college and then went on to law school. I practiced law for a few years, and then devoted myself to raising my two daughters full time. I had dabbled in photography for years, but never in any serious way until I took an introduction to photography class at the International Center for Photography in NYC about 11 years ago. From that moment on I was completely hooked. Photography became my passion and my way of expressing myself. It has become a very large part of who I am. TPL: Explain your idea behind your project observing life from your apartment? DLG: I’m primarily a street photographer. When Covid-19 hit in mid March and I quarantined in my apartment, there were days that I never left. I initially panicked that I wouldn’t be able to go out to shoot, since it’s my source of solace and one of my greatest joys. I spent a good deal of time staring out the window, and it wasn’t long before I realized there was life in NYC that I could document without leaving my home. I began shooting every day at 7pm when my neighbors would emerge at their windows and balconies to applaud our essential workers. Some of my neighbors caught on to me and would look for me and my camera at 7pm. One family would wave and blow kisses every night, my most favorite moment. I also began shooting at other points during the day, often capturing everyday mundane moments and expressions. What I learned most from this project is that you don’t have to go far to make work. In fact, sometimes the best work comes from staying close to home and just being invested in your subject matter. TPL: Do you have a favourite quote or saying that resonates with you the best? DLG: Susan Sontag said that “every style is a means of insisting on something.” Over the years I have had so many wonderful photography teachers who’ve inspired me and helped me grow tremendously. But through it all I’ve stayed true to myself and my vision in my work, despite an occasional push back. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? DLG: In the streets, architecture and people of NYC. I enjoy shooting all over the world, and hope to be able to return to travel when the world normalizes. But NYC is my first love and my greatest inspiration, and I feel I do my best, most meaningful work right here at home. TPL: Is there anything you want to express through your photography? And what are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? DLG: I’m interested in the juxtaposition of the structures of the city and the individuals who inhabit it. It’s rare that I don’t have a human form in my images. I’m also very drawn to composition and order. I would say most of my images are carefully composed. TPL: Do you prefer to photograph alone or with friends? DLG: Definitely alone. What I learned most from this project is that you don’t have to go far to make work. In fact, sometimes the best work comes from staying close to home and just being invested in your subject matter. TPL: Who are your favourite artists and photographers? DLG: There are so many! The greats in classic street photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Saul Leiter , Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Vivian Maier, and Ray Metzker. And some contemporary photographers like Alex and Rebecca Webb, Matthew Pillsbury, Alan Schaller, Clarissa Bonet. Edward Hopper is also a huge inspiration. And Harvey Stein, Margarita Mavromichalis and Nina Welch Kling, all friends and fabulous photographers. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? DLG: I hope that I have and will continue to improve my craft. But my basic style of shooting has remained remarkably consistent. TPL: How does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? What would you say to someone wanting to start out in your genre of photography? DLG: I think I am in the minority of street photographers in that I prefer zoom lenses to fixed. My preferred focal length is 24-70mm, but for this project I used a 70-200mm. It had been sitting unused on my shelf for a year before the pandemic hit and I found really good use for it! For someone just starting out in photography, my best advice is to go out and shoot, experiment, take a lot of pictures, see what feels right to you and don’t worry about the gear. The camera is just a tool, and it takes some time to figure out how you want to express your vision and what camera and lenses will best accomplish that. Allow yourself some time before you invest in expensive gear. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? DLG: I have been making self portraits in hotel rooms for many years now. With Covid, and diminished travel, that project is a bit on hold. But it is one I hope to continue in the future. Now that quarantine restrictions have eased a bit here in New York, I’ve been back out on the street. I often back into projects, and I’m hoping that happens again in the coming weeks and months. I hope the images I am making now will ultimately coalesce into a coherent project that I can develop and work on mindfully. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? DLG: I hope to continue shooting, and to improve , always. But mostly, I hope to continue feeling joy when I shoot and to make work that I am proud of. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... DLG: Spend time with my family and friends, read, exercise, eat out. With Covid, I thought that it was travel that I missed the most. But once things opened up and I could go to the gym, go to museums and meet friends for dinner I realized it is the small things in life that we take for granted that are most precious and most missed when they are gone." PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

ZOONOSIS Zoonosis is the culmination of two years of Adrian Pelegrin tracking all the news about the novel coronavirus and its consequences, photographing television images, and selecting the most shocking headlines. ZOONOSIS December 9, 2022 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Adrian Pelegrin INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Meet Adrian Pelegrin, a photographer originally from Barcelona, Spain, but currently living and working in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He focuses his work, THE HYPERREAL ARCHIVE exploring and investigating the post-photographic edit and manipulation of images to create an awareness of fake news or an unreal reality. With the obsession of social media and its integration into our culture, Adrian studies the changes taking place in our society due to the cause of disinformation, and creates images reflecting the effects on society. “My work is about mass media and how it creates new realities. I photograph archive videographic images, working mainly from television broadcasts. I make long-exposure photographic kinescopes that I later edit through digital post production.” Adrian found the events of the pandemic and the biases of the media’s coverage along with their non objective point of view and transmitting of misinformation, to be the new focus for his exploration. His insightful study and research has culminated in his new book ZOONOSIS. Adrian shares with us how this book came to fruition. “ZOONOSIS is a book gestated in pandemic times. When the global crisis broke out and the entire world was quarantined, I decided to start the task of documenting all the events that were coming to us through the media and online press. The book is the culmination of two years of tracking all the news about the novel coronavirus and its consequences, photographing television images, and selecting the most shocking headlines. Also, I have supplemented the visual and journalistic content with a concise historic-statistical investigation dedicated to synthesizing what happened as much as possible. At another level, I also contribute with a thesis, in a veiled way, juxtaposing different allegorical moments that the reader-observer will be able to guess when contemplating the book’s structure as a whole.” Adrian is a photographer that thinks a great deal about the ideologies he wishes to expose, and draw our focus to. His photography confronts us with the new reality, making the viewer uncomfortable in the confrontation of truth. He has a deliberate vision and intent in how he approaches his work. This drives his process, and engages the viewer in a unique way. Adrian explains in detail his photographic process and critical and creative thought processes. “Photography must express what words cannot express. Photography is a silent art that grows strong in silence. The photographer does not speak; the photographer only points out. Pointing out is to isolate and delimit the world. Photography is the fragmentary art par excellence. We do not see the world as it is, but as we are. A photograph that is defined beforehand is a dead photograph. A living photograph is one that is created and actualized by gaze. Art records the seizures of the social. We must account for the events of our time. Photographing the archive, resampling its documents for a stab in the unconscious. Doing archeology of the present. Exploring the photographic dimension of movement, where overlays, sparkles, and unexpected analogies appear. Marginal elements emerge as untimely interferences, contiguities that generate metaphors: images of images in a double detachment from the real. We are in the maelstrom of memory; in the hyperreal realm of simulacra. We see the phantasmagoria of a managed world, the dreams of instrumental reason. In the era of emptiness, mass disinformation becomes ubiquitous. Is this the real? Then, the artistic practice produces a paradox: the aesthetic paroxysm leads us to self-awareness.” His insightful documentation and brilliant visual storytelling of the events of the pandemic brings us the harsh reality we are confronted with everyday, and how it allows for the distorted views of our future. We have the fortunate pleasure of presenting Adrian’s interview, where he articulates in more detail about his extraordinary process in photography, and how it inspired this wonderful project and new book he has created, ZOONOSIS. “We are in the maelstrom of memory; in the hyperreal realm of simulacra. We see the phantasmagoria of a managed world, the dreams of instrumental reason. In the era of emptiness, mass disinformation becomes ubiquitous. Is this the real? Then, the artistic practice produces a paradox: the aesthetic paroxysm leads us to self-awareness.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ADRIAN PELEGRIN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Adrian, to begin, can you please tell us something about yourself. What would you say first drew you to photography? ADRIAN PELEGRIN: I was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1980. I grew up in Badalona, a post-industrial city by the sea. There was a combination of abandoned factories backing to the beach, fishermen, run-down suburbs, and an ancient Roman city steeped in history. Nearby is Barcelona, a large European city, where you can find all the fun you need as a young person and important cultural centers. At the age of 15 (1995), I became interested in photography, thanks to a summer camp dedicated to film and print development. From then on, I never left the path; I installed my laboratory at home and worked intensely on it until the irruption of digital around the year 2000. Today, I live in Playa del Carmen (Mexico), which is a long story, but to sum it up, I will say that I have been faithful to the belief that “we don’t have to die in the same place where we were born.” Besides that, I am focused on producing my most personal work (the Hyperreal Archive), mainly posting my progress on Instagram and materializing it in photobooks. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? AP: I identify my work with the post-photographic trend that has become increasingly important in the last decade. The Internet and Social Media have had much to do with it, especially YouTube. The changes that have taken place are huge; today, the whole world lives through virtualized experiences, through the cell phone screen. That virtuality, what Baudrillard calls hyperreality, is like a parallel world. It replaces the sensitive life with the imagined life, the fantasized (in the Platonic sense of "phantasmagoria"). We live in a copy of a reality that is "degraded" (in another degree/level), although often, that degradation appears sublimated. All these historical-social phenomena are what interest me and what I try to talk about in my work. That is why I produce images of images; I never work with the "real" directly. Instead, I always start from previous materials, regurgitate them, and throw them back into that hyperreality in which everything is mixed up. We no longer know what is real and what is not. TPL: Talk us through the narrative of ZOONOSIS. When and how did this project first manifest for you? What have you learned from this project that has surprised you? AP: The book "Zoonosis" arose suddenly, just like the pandemic. In January 2020, I was working on another chapter of the "Hyperreal Archive" (that is the whole of my work's name); that chapter was "the Berlin wall." I was capturing images of the construction of the wall and the demolition. I was immersed in that historical-documentary inquiry process through Youtube materials. When the pandemic started, I didn't pay much attention to it. Still, as the months passed, I realized that it was a crucial historical moment, it was something too big, and I decided to stop everything to start documenting the pandemic. There is an important issue, and it has to do with censorship. In the beginning, many videos appeared (with which I worked), and after a few weeks, they disappeared. That's why it's crucial to document everything as it happens before the censors come with their scissors. TPL: When telling a story about misinformation, using abstracted images, explain to our readers the importance of this vibrato of overlaid information, and why this technique became the vehicle to deliver your message. AP: The idea came to me after reading Arthur Danto's book "After the end of art" I thought that the only thing left to do in art's history was to work from what was already done. More than producing, I do post-producing (for those interested in the subject, I highly recommend Nicolas Bourriaud's book "Post-production"). It's what DJs do; they remix the sampling. Taking samples from a formless mass of information and, from there, with that material, build a thesis. It is not new, but we live in the ideal historical moment to develop this movement. There is another book that also helped me, "Non-creative writing" by Kenneth Goldsmith (many poets hate it, by the way.) There is always reactionary resistance; the purists will tear their hair out at any innovation. Annoying the purists is something that has always appealed to me. In a world where all the information is pre-cooked and biased, it is naïve to claim purity, much less in art. It is something that Plato knew well; art does not reflect the truth but is a simulation. TPL: Adrian, please tell our readers that are considering composing a photobook, what was your process? Where did you begin? AP: There are two typical ways to plan a photo book or a book in general. One is to start from a preconceived idea, sketch each page and then photograph. Another is to start photographing and then try to find meaning in the material made. I am more in favor of the second option. Unless you have a clear idea of what you want to do and say, it's best to let things flow. You go in one direction, yes, within a topic, and you go on sifting and discarding what is left over. There comes the point where you start to see a meaning in it; interesting dissonances exist. Dissonances are unexpected moments (something that cannot be planned); they have to do with unconscious connections. That's why the anarchic method is the one that works best for me. Art has to differentiate itself from science and even adopt practices opposed to science. However, science has a lot to learn from art and vice versa. Planning and systematization castrate spontaneity and eliminate the possibility of psychoanalytic "dissonance"; those impurities, those "out of joint" moments, are indispensable. TPL: Publishing a book is a long road to travel, with many unexpected turns and obstacles to overcome. Could you help our readers understand some of the pitfalls you have experienced, and give some wise advice on things you have learned, or perhaps would do differently next time around? AP: Publishing a book on paper, nowadays, is absolute madness. It is the worst business you can imagine. In most cases, the editions are non-profit, even the authors end up putting money out of their pocket or giving the books away. That being said, some photographers do achieve their goals, not without strenuous work (which may never be financially rewarded). Publishing a book is a symbolic act, out of pure vanity or, at best, out of altruism. Different is creating a book, this process is essential, and every photographer should focus their efforts on producing books. The photobook format is on the rise, and there is no stopping it; it is part of the natural development of photographic art. We move from the "single photo" to the "photo essay." It is a significant epistemological leap. That doesn't mean that for most photographers selling books is a viable business. For those thinking of self-publishing, I recommend doing a crowdfunding campaign first (it doesn't cost any money), to test the market. Many times it happens that we overestimate the commitment of our followers. The reality is that our followers, and the majority of people who spend their time on social networks, are looking for free stuff. The fact that our photos receive a thousand organic likes on Instagram does not mean that you have an audience willing to take out their wallets. In any case, if you're still crazy enough to print your photo book on paper, I recommend doing some pre-work to gather subscribers and build an email list of potential buyers. From there, consider that only 5% of those subscribers are really willing to pay. When you are going to do a short print run, the book is so expensive that no one can afford it. The book is cheap if you do a long print run, but you need a solid fan base. You have to make numbers; and, in most cases, the numbers won't look good. Annoying the purists is something that has always appealed to me. In a world where all the information is pre-cooked and biased, it is naïve to claim purity, much less in art. It is something that Plato knew well; art does not reflect the truth but is a simulation. TPL: Since the pandemic is not over, will there be another edition to this book? If so, would you approach the misinformation in the media in a different way? Like Cause and effect, we understand the cause depicted and translated in this book, would there be a sequel to the effects the misinformation has had, and how as a society we have reacted? AP: Today we can say that the pandemic is under control, and although the cases continue, a large part of the population is vaccinated. I think the worst is over because there is an essential genetic component in severe cases and deaths. Now there is the aftermath, the annoying constant colds, which we will have to learn to live with, and eventually, we will end up forgetting. More than a reworking or a continuation of the book, the important thing is to remember what has happened. The social, political, and economic context of 2020 is worth studying; it is a time we will return again and again. That is why it is worth making documentation covering all aspects of the epistemological spectrum, and the artistic expression has an important role. As to whether we've learned anything from this trauma, I think it's too early to tell. Humans prefer to sweep the garbage under the rug instead of taking care of the problems. We always learn the hard way; when it's too late, and we don't take action until it all blows up. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? AP: I am influenced by experimental photographers and artists such as Otto Steinert (subjectivity), Edward Steichen (pictorialism), Gerhard Richter (appropriation), and Joan Fontcuberta (post-photography), among many others. I am also interested in the critical theory of society and culture getting inspired by philosophers such as Theodor Adorno (aesthetics), Max Horkheimer (instrumentalism), Jean Baudrillard (hyperreality), and Jacques Derrida (deconstruction). Regarding paratactic writing, Tristan Tzara and William Burroughs (cut-up) have also been important references. I am also very interested in the new generation of Japanese photographers; Japan will have an essential place in the world of photography in the coming decades. TPL: How do you educate yourself to grow in your photography? AP: The process of formation of visual culture is something that never ends. I spend a lot of time on Instagram every day, following the work of hundreds of amazing photographers that no one knows about. On the other hand, I also try to be aware of new photo book publications. There is a Vimeo profile called "Photobookstore.co.uk", that posts videos of many recent photo books. It is best to buy them, but given the infinite amount of material, it is almost impossible. I am also well-informed about the history of photography. A few years ago, I did an exercise that I recommend to everyone. I downloaded the Encyclopedia of Photography edited by Lynne Warren and began to Google each of the entries. I discovered fascinating photographers and posted a photo daily on my Facebook (I think the folder can still be found). There's also the Youtube channel of Alec Soth that I strongly recommend. Besides that, I read a lot of written theories about art and photography. The conceptual part it's also important. TPL: What was the first camera you ever held in your hand, brought to eye, and released a shutter on? What do you use now? Do you have your go to settings? Is there any equipment you have on your wishlist? AP: Over the years, one learns that the camera is the least important. The photos are taken by the photographer, not by the camera. The gear is a tool. It's funny to see it this way. Do we ask a carpenter what brand of hammers he uses? Is this brand better than the other? And what brand of screwdriver? The important thing here is to have the tools; a hammer and screwdriver. The hammer brand is the least of it. If the hammer is of poor quality, it breaks, and you buy another one, that’s all. With photography, you have to think with the same parameters. There is an obsession about constant technological improvement, which doesn't make much sense. That being said, my first camera was a Pentax MZ-50 (I think), and my last camera is a Canon 5Ds. TPL: What comes next? What are some of your photography goals? AP: As I suggested before, I have a much bigger and more ambitious project that consists of documenting the episodes of recent history through the information that comes to us from the Internet. I started with the Berlin Wall since it is my oldest memory, and I could experience it live on TV. Then came the war in the Persian Gulf, which was also somewhat shocking (in 1991, I was 11 years old). The idea is to continue the historical sequence. The pandemic was something that interrupted this work, but that also became part of the body of work. Now, I'm going to continue with the Hyperreal Archive, which is an infinite project and will last until I die. What I will be publishing will be different chapters of that broader project. TPL: “When I am not photographing, I (like to)… AP: I like to cover every one of my biological needs satisfactorily. After that, I like to read books (mainly philosophy), dedicate some time to entertainment, and watch films by Bergman, Fellini, Buñuel. Enjoy good music, Philip Glass, Charles Mingus. Traveling to nearby towns, going to the beach, eating lobster, watching football, drinking coffee…😁 PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

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. MARCH FORWARD For All Women, Queer and Gender-Diverse Communities March 8, 2025 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Suzanne Phoenix INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE As we come together to celebrate International Women's Day, we acknowledge not only a historic milestone but also a powerful movement that continues to shape societies worldwide. Now in its 110th year, this annual occasion serves as a resounding call to honor the extraordinary social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across generations. It is a day to reflect on the progress made in the fight for gender equality, to recognize the resilience and contributions of women in all spheres of life, and to amplify the voices advocating for a more just and inclusive world. Now in its 14th year, Suzanne Phoenix’s International Women’s Day photography series continues to celebrate and amplify the voices of inspiring women and gender-diverse people from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, and beyond. Since 2012, this project has grown into a powerful visual archive, capturing nearly 200 portraits of artists, activists, musicians, performers, writers, and changemakers who challenge, inspire, and shape our world. Suzanne is a queer Naarm/Melbourne-based photographer, artist, and self-publisher whose work explores people and places with endless curiosity. Her photography spans portraits, live music, performance, documentary, and street photography, capturing the essence of daily life and cultural movements. Each year, Suzanne curates a new collection of portraits, offering a glimpse into the fierce, funny, and extraordinary individuals who drive progress in their fields and communities. These images are more than just photographs — they are statements of resilience, strength, and the ongoing fight against inequality, discrimination, and gendered violence. This annual portrait series is a testament to Suzanne’s dedication to visibility, storytelling, and social change. As we celebrate International Women’s Day in 2025, this year’s series once again brings together a remarkable group of individuals, reflecting on the significance of this global movement. Through photography, Suzanne creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. “I hope that everyone can see a wide range of cis and trans women and gender diverse people who they might recognise but invariably some (often many) they will not, and they will then look them up and connect with them. I want to show strong, vulnerable, moving portraits just as we really look and not what we see in the homogenised media.” MARCHING FORWARD WITH SUZANNE PHOENIX ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY THE PICTORIAL LIST: What originally inspired you to start this International Women’s Day photography series in 2012? What were your aspirations at that time for the project? SUZANNE: I turned up to work one day at a Neighbourhood House and to my surprise all the women were dressed up for IWD. I just started creating portraits with them and asked them what the day meant to them. I had no idea at that time that it would end up being an annual project. TPL: Over the past 14 years, how has this project evolved, and what has surprised you the most? SUZANNE: The project has evolved to engage with people that I am inspired by and who I connect with which sees a definite focus on the live music scene, particularly punk rock, and queer performers. It has evolved in many ways from just creating portraits, to doing paste ups as street posters (firstly by hand with mates, and then through places like Plakkit) and then billboards, self-publishing zines and books and running events with the subjects of the year. The project seems to be growing and reaching a bigger audience. I am most surprised that people continue to say yes to being involved, for example Casey Donovan agreeing to take part this year was a big, beautiful surprise. TPL: How has your work as a photographer been shaped by the themes of gender equality and representation? SUZANNE: My whole life has been heavily influenced by my experience of childhood family violence. Gender equality is a key driver for me to try and make a difference in all I do, and it is prominent in my photography work. I believe visibility and representation of those who are marginalised is crucial to make positive change. For over a decade I have sought to work in places, spaces and sub-cultures with people who are often not seen or are depicted in a stereotypical way. I hope to show people in their best light, in a real but kind way, with consent. Beź Zewdie - events producer, podcast producer and radio broadcaster - "Yes, disengagement is seemingly easy and peaceful, but an Angry Black Woman makes an intergenerational impact." © Suzanne Phoenix Delfi Sorondo - artist - "I can't really sugar coat it. I would love to be saying something more positive. But this is what IWD represents for me and it's appalling. The fight, the injustice, the struggle." © Suzanne Phoenix Casey Donovan - singer, actor, author, speaker, entertainer - "...acknowledge the ongoing fight for women's rights worldwide." © Suzanne Phoenix Georgia Knight - artist - "It was a pure moment of friendship and joy." © Suzanne Phoenix Apollonia - singer, lyricist - "The importance of inspiring girls to dream big." © Suzanne Phoenix Athina Uhoh - singer, visual artist - "It's tied to my penchant for perversion which, to me, connotes curiosity, and that is tied to my desire to perform music." © Suzanne Phoenix Amy Middleton - writer, journalist, publisher - "Women, transgender and NB people are just the best and I'm grateful for their/our efforts and unwavering commitment to changing this fucker of a world order." © Suzanne Phoenix Camilla Lucy McKewen - performer, maker - "Kissing and holding the edges" © Suzanne Phoenix Emilee South - artist - "I am galvanised every day, by the incredible community of women and non-binary folks that surround me." © Suzanne Phoenix Frankie Mazzone - actor, activist - "I like to remind myself of all the incredible Women in my life that have made spaces for me to shine and be free as Frankie." © Suzanne Phoenix Ginger Light - artist - "Women are beautiful, nurturing, kind & strong." © Suzanne Phoenix TPL: Are there any particular portraits or moments from the series that have deeply moved or challenged you? SUZANNE: On the day of one of the photoshoots the news broke of a young Melbourne woman called Isla and her body being found after missing for 6 weeks. In those weeks I watched the ‘Isla MISSING’ messages for weeks and I felt in my gut that she was dead, as I am sure many did. These frequent gender-based deaths of women knocked me and I tried to avoid hearing the details of her death to stay on track for the IWD photoshoots that day, but ultimately, I felt it needed to be raised and not ignored in those portrait sessions. TPL: You feature a diverse range of individuals in your portraits — how do you go about selecting your subjects each year? SUZANNE: I have a list. When I witness a person that I find unique, inspirational, someone who rocks my world, I add them to the list. There are some people I invite every year, but the portrait hasn’t happened yet, but I hope it will one day. So, I usually go back to them as the first on the invite list. Then I look at everyone and try (I say try) to curate a group of people who offer diversity of views and interests. I often have to take a deep breath and just send the invite because if you never ask, you never know. It has become clearer every year that this IWD project has become a place to channel my energy in response to every act I see of violence towards women, inequality and discrimination. TPL: How does capturing both prominent figures and everyday individuals contribute to the storytelling and impact of this project? SUZANNE: It provides a platform for individuals at different levels of their career, and I hope it helps elevate those who are emerging. I think an everyday individual has an important presence in this series for many reasons including the profiling of their life experiences and perspectives. I am also particularly interested in people in what could be perceived as their ‘break through’ moment. For example, Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers was in the series before the band became an internationally recognised band. In 2021 when we were in covid lockdowns, I couldn’t do portraits so I went back to everyone in the series to date and asked them if they would like to answer the question about IWD again. It was an interesting exercise to see how views changed, and Amy was one of these people. I think the documentation of stories before people experience a different level of fame is an important act. TPL: Photography has the power to shift perceptions — have you seen this project create tangible change or impact within communities? SUZANNE: It is hard for me to quantify a tangible change within communities but what I can say is I have seen change in individuals who are in the series. Also, I see how people react to the portraits and their personal stories alongside them. I have received a great deal of feedback that this work has changed their thoughts on IWD as a subversive project that bucks the trend of IWD being corporatised and commoditised with soggy croissant breakfasts that cost far too much to attend and are for a select group of a privileged few. TPL: Can you walk us through your creative process when capturing these portraits? How do you ensure authenticity in your subjects' expressions and stories? SUZANNE: I see the creation of the portrait as a collaborative process. I aim to provide a quiet, calm space with just the subject and myself. I can be a quick portrait photographer and only take a few shots with some people, but I take the time needed with each person. Everyone is unique with a different level of comfort in front of the camera. Some people are so used to it they have practiced skills and looks that I sometimes need to try and encourage them to drop. I always talk through the portrait being just for the purposes of this series, that in a hundred years people will look back and see and read what ‘so and so’ presented and wrote about IWD. I have recognised, especially this year, that people are reacting to me in the portrait and that they usually are showing that they like me and feel comfortable (which is lovely!). But I’ve asked a few people to look at me like they don’t like me to give a different feeling. I am unsure if this is right or wrong, but certainly some of those portraits are in the final collection. My process includes the subject making a final decision on the portrait chosen which I understand is often not the norm. On the storytelling side, I talk about it being difficult for many to write about the subject and that individuals don’t need to give a worldview and cover off everything about it. I suggest sharing a personal story from their life, that is where the gold is. And while it is true we have come a long way, but still have a long way to go, I talk about how we don’t need to all state that and encourage the individuals to dig a little deeper. Grace Cummings - artist - "I feel proud and hopeless in equal measure...I don't want to have to think about it all. I'm grateful to be asked and hope I have a wildly different answer in 10 years." © Suzanne Phoenix Isobel Buckley - musician and record label co-founder girlie - "IWD to me represents the celebration of strength and triumphs reached by non-men, which has improved the quality of life and many others benefit from every day. It's also a reminder of the very real struggles faced daily, and the huge progress still to come and to fight for." © Suzanne Phoenix Karen Pickering - writer, carer - "I've seen IWD grow in size and popularity, from being barely observed to now a cultural juggernaut divorced from its true meaning." © Suzanne Phoenix Kerri Simpson - musician - "A time to reflect on and celebrate women's achievements worldwide." © Suzanne Phoenix Lauren Hester - musician, visual artist, filmmaker - "Every day is a fight for women to simply exist." © Suzanne Phoenix Michelle Trebilco - fashionista - "A time to celebrate all women without discrimination." © Suzanne Phoenix MzRizk - DJ, event curator, sound artist - "...a call to action to continue amplifying voices and championing equity in every sphere." © Suzanne Phoenix Romy Vager - singer - "International Women's Day is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. While I want to support others and celebrate our achievements, as a trans person I'm never quite sure about how welcome I am to be there. I guess IWD for me is about women who don't always fit the mould of what a woman is expected to be making it clear that we deserve to be here as much as anyone else." © Suzanne Phoenix Sarah Blaby - musician - "I can't hide anything, so I try to make her proud and be the voice she wasn't allowed." © Suzanne Phoenix Sherele Moody - femicide researcher, journalist - "IWD is a powerful moment when women come together to save other women's lives. It's an opportunity to highlight the ongoing toll and impact of gendered violence on Australia while commemorating killed women and children. We cannot move forward without change: The stories of killed women and children are the most powerful way to turn the page on violence in Australia." © Suzanne Phoenix Ursula Dutkiewicz - artist - "IWD celebrates how far we have come towards equality while bringing to light the issues we still face. It's a reminder to take nothing for granted and to continue to keep pushing for a better world whilst living in a patriarchal society." © Suzanne Phoenix Zec Zechner - singer, songsmith, performer, writer - "... an annual reminder of the need for action to optimise our broken system to serve the broader community ... " © Suzanne Phoenix TPL: What challenges have you faced in sustaining and growing this series over the years? SUZANNE: The main challenge is financial. 2025 is the first year I have established sponsorships that individuals have taken up to a level that has mostly covered the outgoing costs of the work. The future challenge is to try and cover the costs of my time so I can survive as a full-time artist. TPL: As you look ahead, how do you see this project evolving in the future? Are there new elements you’d like to explore? SUZANNE: Every year is a bit different, often with different presentation outcomes like in 2024 the portraits were on the Bakehouse Billboards in Melbourne driven past by 2 million motorists per week. This year there will be an exhibition at Queen Victoria Women’s Centre which is sponsored by Australian Femicide Watch. The QVWC feels like a natural home for the project in a place of activism and advocacy committed to holding and creating space for Victorian women and gender diverse people to thrive. And I am so honoured to have built a connection with Sherele Moody of Australian Femicide Watch. For the future, I hope one day to see the portraits on a larger scale in an outdoor exhibition. TPL: Finally, what does International Women’s Day mean to you personally, and how has your perspective on it changed through this work? SUZANNE: It has become clearer every year that this IWD project has become a place to channel my energy in response to every act I see of violence towards women, inequality and discrimination. It gives me an opportunity to connect, learn, to grow as a person and artist and gives me hope. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.

SHORT MOMENTS Photographing on the streets of Turkey, Asli Gonen documents those ordinary simple moments that make her feel happy within herself. SHORT MOMENTS March 23, 2022 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Asli Gonen INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Asli Gonen was always drawn to art, and when the digital age dawned she noticed a new way to express her creativity - photography. She signed up for various photography websites, eagerly learning about the art of street photography, and soon she decided to take the plunge and purchase a camera of her own. Now, when Asli is out and about her small hometown in Central Anatolia, Turkey, she captures those fleeting moments of beauty that often go unnoticed in our hurried, everyday lives. Asli Gonen is a photographer who knows how to appreciate the little things, and her photographs tell stories of joy and contentment. “I like to be on the street all the time, day and night, summer and winter, and be prepared for surprises. In fact, I like to come home tired, sometimes empty-handed, not knowing what to expect. In order not to miss a moment, I always carry my machine in my bag, meanwhile I can say that I have gained a lot of arm muscle. Here, too, I wanted to show those brief moments that caught my attention in the streets I encountered at various times.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ASLI GONEN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Asli, how did you become interested in photography? ASLI GONEN: It started when I discovered a photography site on the Internet. I subscribed to the site first and just watched for a long time. Then I bought a small compact machine saying why not. TPL: How have the streets and culture you capture influence your photography? How have your captures changed the way you see Turkey? AG: Actually, I can say that I am a bit unlucky because I live in a small city, but still, Eskişehir is a city that offers me ample opportunities due to the high population of young people. It is also a chance for me to have to travel sometimes due to my job. I can also document different lives and cultures. As a result, the streets are always interesting wherever we are. TPL: What are some tips or advice you would give yourself if you started photography all over again? AG: If I had my current mind, I would definitely take a picture of a moment without thinking, I would come back later, I would not say that I will take it later, because the same place, the same light, in short, the current conditions may not be in place, I made this mistake a lot in the beginning. TPL: Do you ever get burnt out creatively? Explain how you keep the creative energy flowing. AG: Of course, sometimes I feel like I'm in a vicious circle, repeating myself and losing my motivation. But every time I take my machine in my hand and go out to the street, I feel happy as if I have just started, that is enough for me. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists? AG: Photographers such as Ara Güler, Trent Parke, Lee Friedlander, Vivian Maier, Saul Leiter, Elliott Erwitt have been my inspiration. When I go out, I just go wherever the light takes me. TPL: If you could just choose one photographer to shoot alongside for a day...who would you choose? And why? AG: Definitely would be Saul Leiter. Because as Saul Leiter said, “I happen to believe in the beauty of simple things. I believe that the most uninteresting thing can be very interesting.” By adopting this saying as my philosophy, I try to discover those short moments and beauties in our daily rush. TPL: When you are out shooting - how much of it is instinctual versus planned? AG: When I go out, I just go wherever the light takes me. 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? AG: I am using Fujifilm X-M1. Since it is a mirrorless camera, I can shoot lighter and without disturbing people. My lens is 16-50 mm, it does my job very comfortably. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? AG: Photography for me is a way of expressing myself and a hobby I love. I don't have big plans and ambitions in this regard, to be honest, but who wouldn't want a photo book, or an exhibition. TPL: You are the founding member of @womeninstreetturkey. Tell us about the collective and why you started the project. What do you want the collective to achieve? AG: We, the five members who are from different walks of life and from different cities with different backgrounds, established the @womeninstreetturkey. We think women should be more visible in our country and we personally try to be examples of women individuals who can exist in different fields of life. We try to promote examples of talented women street photographers from Turkey and the world. In fact, we have all been involved with photography for many years, but with the birth of contemporary street photography and its spread in Turkey, the increasing interest has affected us as well, but the number of women taking street photos in this sense is quite low in Turkey. We brought this idea to life in early 2021. We decided to set up @womeninstreetturkey. Although we live in different cities of Turkey, we plan to come together after the disappearance of the pandemic and organize photography trips and even workshops. Currently, our hands are tied, but we continue to photograph the places, streets and people we live in whenever we can. Even in the days of curfew, we try to create various opportunities for ourselves by using light, shadow and reflection even in our homes... Photography is always with us, wherever we are... TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… AG: I like to spend time with my family and cook." PORTFOLIO INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. 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.