photography in all its forms

2008 Aperture Portfolio Prize Limited-Edition Print Series
Aperture Foundation is excited to announce a new addition to the limited-edition photographs program. To encourage the collection of work by emerging artists, Aperture will offer special limited-edition prints by the winner and runners-up of the Aperture Portfolio Prize. The Prize competition takes place every summer and is judged by Aperture’s editorial and curatorial staff. The purpose of the Prize is to identify trends in contemporary photography and specific artists whom we can help by bringing their work to a wider audience. In choosing the first-prize winner and runners-up, we are looking for work that is fresh and that hasn’t been widely seen in major publications or exhibition venues. Aperture is pleased to offer our collectors work by these talented artists. Proceeds from the sales of these prints will benefit both the artists and Aperture Foundation.

Artist’s Statement
"This selection of photographs is about the Mega Church phenomenon. Mega Churches have inspired thousands of Christian worshippers to gather within vast post-modern architectural spaces across the nation. Megalithic in size, these converted Hilton hotels and restored theaters are transformed into halls of prayer each Sunday through performative rituals and multimedia spectacles. A minimum of 2000 worshippers must attend the weekend service for the building to attain the "Mega Church" status.

Specifically I am photographing the empty interior architecture and sanctuary spaces where worship is performed. I use the descriptive power of photography to construct a personal vocabulary or language with which I can communicate what interests me about a subject. I tend to gravitate to subjects that have some inherent tension and mystery. With the Mega Church project, an interesting point of tension lies in a secular treatment of contemporary religious practice within Mega Churches. My photographs attempt to reveal the mechanics of creating faith by capturing the wires, computers, light bulbs, and cords that are used to construct mysteries on stage for the faithful. The rawness of the abandoned mega-space and the eerie familiarity of its commercial fixtures question the intention and business of faith in the 21st century."—Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson (b. 1978) holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, both in photography. He has participated in both solo and group shows throughout the United States, and has an upcoming exhibition of this work at Gallery Kayafas in Boston this spring. Johnson is currently assistant professor of photography at the University of Missouri. Visit his website to see more.