As part of the Eye on the Strand series, photographer Michal Chelbin will be at Strand Bookstore discussing her first monograph Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes and other Traveling Troupes, published by Aperture. Her images feature richly detailed, internally charged portraits of small town performers in circuses and other traveling troupes taken over a period of six years in the Ukraine, Russia, Israel and England. Chelbin’s most frequent subjects are children and adolescents, yet her work encompasses a mix of generations. Often captured in performance costumes, Chelbin’s palette is intense, with a distinctive use of saturated pinks, blues, and greens. Her black-and-white images, which are intermingled throughout the book, have an almost pictorialist richness.

Click here to buy a limited edition print from Michal Chelbin’s Strangely Familiar through Aperture.

Eye on the Strand Event with Michal Chelbin
Thursday, January 29, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway, New York
(212) 473-1452

Eye on the Strand is a photography contest co-organized by Strand Bookstore, Aperture and Pratt Institute and is open to amateur and professional photographers to submit photo representations of the famous Strand bookstore by February 27, 2009. There will be 24 winners chosen by a prestigious jury. Prizes include an afternoon with internationally renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark; 50 Aperture photography books; a group exhibit at Pratt CCPS gallery; a digital photography or computer graphics course at Pratt CCPS; a $350 B&H photo gift card.

The next Eye on the Strand event is a talk with photographer Hank Willis Thomas on Tuesday, February 10.

Alona in the Bedroom, Ukraine, 2006. Photo by Michal Chelbin

Bid now on a selection of three fabulous, signed, monographs from Aperture, available exclusively on eBay. All three are first editions and in excellent condition. Own a collectible book from the pioneering color photographer William Christenberry, or the first monograph from up-and-coming Israeli-born Michal Chelbin, or the uniquely bound three-volume set Paris-New York Shanghai, from Dutch conceptual artist Hans Eijeklboom.

Click here to start bidding now.

Mary Pelletier on November 16, 2008 8:11 PM

Aperture, The Strand Bookstore and Pratt Institute Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS),will celebrate the launch of The Eye on the Strand photo contest. Amateur and professional photographers alike from all over the world are invited to submit their photo representations of the Strand Bookstore for a chance to win an afternoon with internationally-renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark, a collection of fifty photobooks published by Aperture, and more. A group exhibition will take place at Pratt CCPS Gallery in the summer of 2009 to include all of the winning images.

Aperture artists scheduled to attend, sign their books, and mingle with fans include Michal Chelbin, Donna Ferrato, Paul Fusco, Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz, Stephen Shames, and Hank Willis Thomas, among others.

The Eye on the Strand photo contest will run from November 6, 2008, through February 27, 2009.

Launch Party:
Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.

Strand Book Store
828 Broadway (at 12th Street)
2nd floor/Art Department
(212) 473-1452

FREE

Paris Photo 2008 honoring Japanese photography, just ended yesterday. It was a truly successful fair for Aperture! Here are a few highlights from the Aperture booth and our book signing event at colette.

On Thursday, legendary Japanese photographer Eikoh Hosoe dropped by the booth to sign copies of the recently launched first edition facsimile reissue of Barakei. Lucky visitors also had the chance to discover his new book projects.

Later in the afternoon, photographer Michal Chelbin signed her latest acclaimed book Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes, and Other Traveling Troupes.

On Friday, the notorious colette store hosted a special evening celebrating Aperture photographers and a stunning new season of books and prints. Michal Chelbin, Elena Dorfman, Takashi Homma, Erwin Olaf and Michael Wolf were there to sign books and party among 200 collectors and fans eager to meet them.

Erwin Olaf

Takashi Homma

Opening night at Paris Photo is a smashing success with many friendly faces stopping by the Aperture booth!

Sondra Gilman, Celso Gonzalez-Falla, Aperture board of trustees chairman and Aperture’s own Kellie McLaughlin

Artist Eikoh Hosoe, Aperture Executive Director Juan Garcia de Oteyza and Aperture Publisher, Lesley A. Martin

Eikoh Hosoe

Josef Koudelka

Paris Photo is the largest photography fair in the world, visit the Aperture booth ED02 to see our latest books, stunning limited-edition prints and you never know who else…..

More to come tomorrow!

Book Signing with Michal Chelbin, Aperture Booth, Paris Photo:

Thursday, November 13, 5:00 p.m.

Paul Fusco at PhotoPlus East, New York City, October 23, 2008.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Aperture Foundation booth during PhotoPlus East last week. Thousands of people came to the largest photography trade show in the Northeast and those who came by the Aperture booth got to see the new season of fabulous photography books (like the Tinyvices series), brand new, affordable limited-edition prints and the hot-off-the press winter issue of Aperture magazine. Magnum photographer Paul Fusco was there on Thursday to sign copies of Paul Fusco: RFK and PDN 30 winner Michal Chelbin signed copies of her new Aperture monograph, Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes, and Other Traveling Troupes on Friday.

Michel Chelbin (far left) signing copies of her monograph at PhotoPlus East, October 24, 2008.