Picture by Sophie T.Lvoff

Panel discussion:
Wednesday, January 19, 6:30 pm

Opening reception hosted by SNAP! with DJ AJ Slim:
Thursday, January 20, 6:00-9:00 pm

Exhibition on view:
Thursday, January 20, 2011 –Thursday, March 17, 2011

What are young photographers up to in the twenty-first century? How do they see the world? How much do they respect, build on or reject tradition? Are they busy in the darkroom or the computer lab—or both? Theregeneration project—the broadest and most enterprising survey of its kind—sets out to answer these intriguing questions, previewing the work of young photographers who may well emerge as some of the finest artists of their generation.

Following the success of the 2005 book and exhibition—which traveled to ten different cities across North America, Europe, and Asia—this second edition turns the spotlight on new, up-and-coming talents from thirty-one countries. Curators at the world-renowned Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne selected the most promising candidates from some seven hundred entries submitted by 120 of the world’s top photography schools. The resulting publication and exhibition reveal the flexibility of young photographers as they pass fluidly from one genre to another, and/or one technique to another.

The panel discussion with curators William A. Ewing and Nathalie Herschdorfer and Sam Stourdzé, Director of Musée de l’Elysée will feature artists Ted Partin (USA), Benjamin Beker (UK) and Jennifer Osborne (Canada) .

Prior to the party on Thursday, the curators will do a walk through of the exhibition at 6:00 pm, the reception will be hosted by SNAP! Aperture’s New Collectors Program and will include music by DJ AJ Slim, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery and the Swiss Consulate General.

An exhibition produced by the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, in collaboration with the Aperture Foundation, New York with the support of Pro Helvetia.

Click here to purchase the book ReGeneration 2: Tomorrow’s photographers today

View the reGeneration collection of limited edition photographs here!

The first edition of The Pond-published by Aperture in 1985 and one of the most important photography books in the history of the medium-included an original gelatin-silver image printed by John Gossage himself and tipped onto the cloth cover of the book. This was a special and luxe addition to an already stunning book, which, ironically, came about because the budget wouldn’t allow for it.

The Pond‘s funding was maxed out with the book’s cloth binding, high-end paper, and extra-long dust jacket with custom color inks. It simply didn’t allow for any more extras, like a tip-on image, which is typically printed as an extra sheet with the rest of the pages of the book. Since what happens underneath a dust jacket is not immediately visible, and, in fact, many readers don’t ever remove it, adding more features there can drive costs up without necessarily adding more perceived value to a book. In short, adding a manufactured tip-on just didn’t make financial sense.

However, it does make for a nice surprise for those who take the time to remove the jacket, and John saw that if he printed the tip-ons himself, he could add this feature without affecting the book costs significantly. As he put it, “It required my effort. But it was just some trouble, and so I did it.” This meant, though, that he needed to make over 2,500 prints! Faced with days in the darkroom, John decided to include six different images so he wouldn’t grow bored. He chose images that commented on the interior of the book, but that weren’t included within, in order to keep attentive readers on their toes and intrigued. Five out of the six images were a series of frames of a string blowing in the wind. The sixth image was a wild card: a menacing junkyard dog behind a fence. While all the images spoke to the kind of beautiful imperfection in the borderland between man and nature surrounding the pond, the dog seemed to guard the book in a very direct way, quietly growling at the viewer.

John made extra copies of each of the prints so that the printer would have more than 2,500, in case any damage occurred during production. After the book was made, the printer returned the leftover images to John.  In the end, he got a disproportionate number of dog prints back. This meant that fewer of these prints were tipped onto books that went into circulation, making a copy of The Pond with a dog print tipped onto the cover even more rare.

It also means that John has some extra copies of vintage dog prints. To our great surprise and honor, he has generously donated one of these prints, along with a first edition of the book, to Aperture for this year’s Benefit and Auction. Now you have a chance to own this amazing, storied print and first edition book, and at the same time support Aperture’s publications, exhibitions, and educational programs.

Blog post by Denise Wolff

For more information on our Benefit as well as bidding online and in-person, please click here.

Don’t miss your last chance to buy tickets to the 2010 Aperture Benefit and Auction and SNAP! Benefit Party on November 1st! This year there are a number of available ticket packages to choose from. Enjoy Aperture’s Silent and Live Auctions as well as the Benefit dinner honoring photographer Richard Misrach, Steven Ames and Julie Saul from 6:00 to 9:30PM.

Or join us for the SNAP! Benefit Party, from 9:30 to 11:30PM, and dance the night away to music spun by special guest DJs and downtown fixtures Tim Barber of Tinyvices.com, AJ Slim and Jeannie Hopper of LiquidSoundLounge.com and ARTonAIR.com. This year the SNAP! Benefit Party will also include Aperture’s first ever Emerging Artists Auction featuring works by artists Jen Davis, Mark Lyon, LaToya Ruby Frazier, among others, an open bar and gourmet bites as well as an exciting selection of raffle prizes including theater tickets, dinner for two and many more!

Believe It by Hank Willis Thomas

Aperture’s 2010 Benefit and Auction print list features an eclectic roster of established and emerging artists who have or are making their mark in contemporary art. Included in this year’s Silent Auction, Aperture is pleased to present an exciting recent work by artist Hank Willis Thomas. Thomas, whose critically acclaimed monograph Pitch Blackness was released by Aperture in 2008, is perhaps best known for his internationally exhibited series Unbranded which deconstructs the representation of African Americans in advertisements made over a forty year span. Thomas’ newest body of work Fair Warning emerged from the making of Unbranded and highlights the visual dynamics of cigarette ads aimed at an African American audience whom have been historically disproportionately targeted by the tobacco industry. The images in Fair Warning are re-appropriated by Thomas using the same technique as Unbranded, logos are removed, text is left in snippets that transform intention juxtaposed with the model’s nonchalant hand gestures sans cigarettes and a consideration of the depiction of blackness being marketed.

Hank Willlis Thomas is also co-chairing Aperture’s first ever SNAP! Benefit Party which will follow the annual Benefit and Auction dinner along with Carolyn Francis and Giovanni Tomaselli of Polaroid, sponsor of SNAP! Hosted by Aperture’s SNAP! Young Patrons Program, this event will include an Emerging Artists Auction, the music stylings of DJs AJ Slim, Tim Barber of Tinyvices.com and Jeannie Hopper of LiquidSoundLounge.com and ARTonAIR.org, special raffle prizes and a tasty buffet of light bites.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the SNAP! Benefit Party

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the Benefit and Auction dinner

Click here to view the Auction Catalog. Online bidding starts on October 18.

Detail from Untitled, 2008 by Richard Misrach

Join Aperture for its 2010 Benefit and Auction on November 1st honoring photographer Richard Misrach; collector, philanthropist, former Aperture Trustee Steven Ames; and gallerist Julie Saul. This year’s auction will be Aperture’s largest ever with opportunities to bid on an exciting roster of prints by Diane Arbus, Bruce Davidson, Susan Meiselas, Joel Meyerowitz, Curtis Mann, Mickalene Thomas, Paul Strand, James Welling, Hank Willis Thomas and Kehinde Wiley among others.

Directly following the Benefit and Auction, the first-ever SNAP! Benefit Party and Emerging Artists Silent Auction hosted by SNAP!, Aperture’s Young Patrons Program will feature music spun by special guests DJs, an open bar, and great raffle prizes. The Emerging Artists Auction includes rising photographers such as Timothy Briner, Jen Davis, Adam Krause, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Will Steacy and many more.

Click here to preview silent and live auction items

Click here for more details and to purchase tickets to the 2010 Benefit and Auction

Click here for more details and to purchase tickets to the 2010 SNAP! Benefit Party