Interviews

Latest Stories

The Photographers Who Built an “Army of Lovers” through Protest and Celebration

During the Stonewall Protests in 2020, activists organized to speak out against violence and homophobia, galvanizing the community in the fight for Black trans lives.

Grace Wales Bonner on the Photographers That Inspire Her Visionary Fashion Design

In an exclusive interview, the influential designer speaks about her artistic collaborations with Liz Johnson Artur, Tyler Mitchell, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya—and how she uses images to salute the past and imagine the future.

How the Architect Frida Escobedo Thinks About Art and Design

For Escobedo, who once built a home inspired by a camera obscura, photography has long influenced her ideas about architecture.
Michèle Pearson Clarke, Quantum Choir, 2022

An Artist’s Video Choir Tells a Story about Black and Queer Visibility

Michèle Pearson Clarke tests the limits of vulnerability before the camera—and creates a novel vision of queer solace.

The Photo Studio That Immortalized Argentina’s Popular Culture

During an era of political upheaval, a portrait session at Foto Estudio Luisita, run by sisters Luisa and Chela Escarria, was a rite of passage for actors, dancers, pioneering trans performers—and the occasional adorned dog.
Synchrodogs, Ukraine, 2011

A Ukrainian Photography Duo’s Fantastical World

Known for their vivid imagery, Synchrodogs have worked with some of the world’s leading magazines and brands—but since the war in Ukraine began, they have been stuck in limbo.

“Please Tell the World What Is Happening to Us”: A Photographer’s Account of Covering the War in Ukraine

Natalie Keyssar speaks about her powerful, yet devastating photographs from Ukraine—and the essential need for photography in a moment of crisis.
Susan Kuklin, Kachin and Michael at Michael’s Apartment, 1987

How Pictures Can Shape an Essential History of Queer Life

From photographs of same-sex weddings to HIV/AIDS caretakers, Stephen Vider’s new book shows how queer people redefined gender roles, domestic space, and the politics of intimacy in the twentieth century.
Lily Wiley Vallejo and Louisa Vallejo with Emily Melvin, ca. 1870s

How Can Historical Photographs Preserve Latinx Culture?

For decades, the artist Ken Gonzales-Day has collected photographs that represent a century of dramatic change for Mexican Americans.
Claudia Gordillo, Celebrating the National Day of FSLN Militias in Masaya, 1984

How Claudia Gordillo Documented the Realities of Life in Nicaragua

Whether photographing armed conflict or religious rituals, Gordillo observed Nicaraguan society from a close yet critical distance.

A Syrian Documentary Photographer Teaches Children to Capture Their Lives

In Turkey, Serbest Salih runs a mobile darkroom where kids—often refugees affected by war—learn the basics of developing their black-and-white photos.

Greg Tate and Arthur Jafa on Ming Smith’s “Acts of Love” in Photography

In the 1970s, Smith immersed herself in jazz music, producing images with her signature poetic blur—and exploring what Tate and Jafa call the “maroon fugitivity” of Black postmodern life.

In Frida Orupabo’s Collages, the Black Feminine Figure Is a Rich Expressive Force

Using photographs in her multidisciplinary work, Orupabo creates narratives that oppose stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a Black woman.

Gregory Halpern on the Impossibility of Documentary Photography

Reflecting on his series based in the contemporary social landscape of Guadeloupe, the photographer speaks about his process, personal history, and the politics of representation.

Paul Pfeiffer on the Transformative Effects of the Pop Culture Image

In a conversation with Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, the multidisciplinary artist speaks about the politics of viral images and mass spectacle.

Why Lynn Hershman Leeson Is Always Ahead of Her Time

The pioneering performance, video, and multimedia artist speaks with the poet Eileen Myles about the connections between technology and society.

Arundhati Roy Sees Delhi as a Novel

The renowned author and activist discusses the many landscapes—political, environmental, and architectural—that give shape to the city’s story.
Sabiha Çimen, Quran School students having fun with a pink smoke bomb at a picnic event, Istanbul, Turkey, 2017

A New Digital Platform Asks What Truth Means in Photography

With issues of truth more pressing than ever, Alan Govenar started an online space for critical discussion about the role of images in contemporary life. Here, he speaks about projects from Istanbul to the Bronx.
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Aperture 248

Fall 2022, “The Seventieth Anniversary Issue”