Magnum Blog / A short conversation with the new Magnum nominees

It's been a little over two months now that Magnum welcomed three new nominees into the circle of Magnum Photographers. Once a year, the photographers from Magnum travel to Paris, London or New York for their Annual General Meeting (AGM). The 2007 AGM took place at the end of June in New York City. One day of the AGM is reserved to look at submitted portfolios and to decide upon new nominees, associates and members.

I briefly e-mailed with them to find out about their motivation to join Magnum and how it felt to be notified of their acceptance. A more in depth look at our new nominees will follow in the future. Make sure to post your comments or questions, we will try to find responses and answers to them by our nominees.

"I love photography. it is not only a means to an end to me. I love the whole process: from the first idea, all the way to the final print. And sharing it.
I still see making a photograph as an extraordinary and magical act and those qualities make it very powerful.
I wanted to be part of a group of people that I believe still love photography, respect it, don't underestimate it, and think about why, and how they use it.
And who - needless to say - are also photographers I've long admired, many having inspired me since I was a child.
I got a glimpse of how Magnum works through meeting a few of it's members during the application process, and it seems each person receives from the agency as much as they give. Each one uses Magnum in a different way and all coincided it is a chaos, but a beautiful one.
I have to get to know the workings of it. It is all a bit abstract still. And since I'm used to working alone I have to learn how to be part of a group now.

But I do know I want to do something different from what I've been doing on my own in terms of producing. That is another reason i applied: To be surprised and challenged all over again."

"On the afternoon the voting took place I came home from a picnic in the park with Martin (my husband), my baby Catalina, and a group of friends. There was a message from Susan Meiselas welcoming me to Magnum. So I went right back out, soaking wet on the E train, and celebrated at the MoMA!"

"After having worked a number of years with personal documentary photography, I was looking for a group of photographers, whose aims and ideas I could identify with. Some of the Magnum members have been a great inspiration to me during the creation of my own personality as a photographer, and now that I feel I have developed my own language within photography, I decided to apply for Magnum.

A strong and passionate interest in people and the subjects and a will not to compromise are some of the qualities which has made Magnum an attractive place for me to become part of. It is a very exciting process for me, because I have always worked alone, and I am just getting to learn how photographers can be individuals and still work as a group to obtain common goals."

"I did not have some crazy reaction, because I was alone with the news, and it seemed a bit unreal. One of the members called me shortly after the decision was made. I was in NY myself to show my work to galleries and a few members before the voting. I received the phone call at a friend's house in Queens, when I was taking a nap on this couch filled with an enormous amount of cat hair. At first I wasn't sure if I was still a sleep or not....

Becoming a nominee at Magnum was a goal that I had aimed for, and now reaching it, at first I didn't know what to do with the news. Then I called my girlfriend in Tokyo, my twin brother in Bangkok and my mother in Copenhagen. The people who always supported me... And their reactions made me understand it was for real. Afterwards I went on a round trip to visit them and celebrate."

"Since I started working as a photographer, I have always been represented by galleries rather then by agencies. The freedom that this has allowed has, I think been very important to my work. I haven't had to do assignments in order to make a living or fund work. Instead, I have done this through print sales. This has great advantages in some terms as it allows me to spend almost all my time on long-term personal projects rather then 1-week assignments. I also very much like the exhibition as a form of getting work seen as I think it allows for a very particular and very special form of contemplation of images. In an exhibition, one looks at photographs in a very physical way due to the fact that one walks through an exhibition rather then paging through it. I have also organized exhibitions in interesting and varied locations such as Nelson Mandela's old cell in Pollsmoor Prison, the South African Constitutional Court, and the Italian Parliament. This is also very important to me in ensuring that the work can be seen by a wider audience then just those who attend the more elite commercial galleries and museums.

So, while I am very happy to continue working in this way, I also want my work to be seen as widely as possible in different contexts too. I chose to apply to Magnum because I was attracted to the idea of being a part of an organization with such a strong tradition of engaged photographic practice. It made sense to join an agency for editorial photography, and Magnum was the obvious choice, as it seemed to be the best one. I also share a deep affinity and respect for most of the Magnum photographers and feel attracted to the shared quality of social engagement that seems to define Magnum.

I was given the wrong date for the portfolio meeting in New York, so the physical portfolio that I had gone to some lengths to prepare never arrived on time. When I realized this, I thought, ah well, thats it - no chance now. But Magnum already had a disk of my work which I had sent a few months previously for the preliminary selection at the London office, and somehow I got chosen on the basis of that."

"I received emails from Martin Parr and Jim Goldberg, I smiled to myself, and was really quite surprised after the portfolio problem. I then carried on preparing for the assignment that I was about to start.

While I am obviously delighted and honored to be chosen for Magnum, I really don't see it as changing anything in the way I work, except hopefully to help me to produce better work and get that work seen. But I don't want to allow anything, especially not the new attention that my work is receiving with the nomination, to distract me from my focus on long-term, sustained, and engaged projects."

Reader comments (19)

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I could not make it to the meeting in NY this year. That means I have not given my vote to any of you. I am impressed from afar by what I saw on my screen, so you can add a virtual vote in your favour. I hope we will not disappoint you and wish you strength and persistence for the coming two years. They are the toughest (but don't let it take you).

Congrats,

John

Comment posted by John Vink on September 7, 2007

To Jacob Aue Sobol:

In looking at the Sabine work, I have always wondered what happened to Sabine? Is she the girlfriend you mention calling in Tokyo? I would assume that it is not. . .

Davin Ellicson

Comment posted by Davin Ellicson on September 7, 2007

Congratulations.
Impressive work, Mikhael.

Comment posted by Nicolas Brunet on September 7, 2007

Well they are certainly all worthy and it's very nice to see a woman nominated.
I wonder what the ratio is between men and women photographers at Magnum.

Katia

Comment posted by Katia Roberts on September 7, 2007

Let me rephrase. . . I don't want to sound intrusive. . . I guess what I am wondering is what Sabine thought of your work and what she thought of you showing it to the rest of the world and exhibiting somewhat intimate pictures of her? I don't want to make any assumptions about you, Sabine or the work, but when I first saw the pictures I thought that it was good work but wondered about the situation surrounding its making?? At first the pictures made me think of the long history of Westerners going to live with indigenous peoples and the tricky line that sometimes must be navigated between respect and exploitation. . . Where do such issues figure in here, if they do at all?

Comment posted by Davin Ellicson on September 7, 2007

i am in awe for Subotzky's work. "Die Vier Hoeken" is a wonderful reportage and a great example of the use of a panoramic format in journalism, yet at the same time mixing format with 35mm frames.
And I also love "Beaufort West"!

Mikhael, I wonder if you see yourself as a journalist, an artist or both. And Martin, thanks for collecting these thoughts of the new photographers!

Comment posted by Lea Kast on September 8, 2007

Thanks for your comments Lea. I think that the art / photojournalist debate is often overplayed. Photographs can communicate in many different ways and I aspire to getting mine seen in many different context's. People like Alec Soth, Alessandra and myself have come to Magnum having already been established in an "art" context, and for me that shows the strength of Magnum at the moment in that the underlying ethos of the work of its members is not delineated by any definitions of different types of photography. It was only through my gallery sales of prints that I could fund the work that got me into Magnum, so I think that the two worlds are not nearly as discrete as they are sometimes made out to be.

Comment posted by Mikhael Subotzky on September 8, 2007

Thanks for your quick response. I understand what you say and usually I am a bit tired of the art vs. journalism debate as well. I was just asking because you wrote about funding your projects through print sales and exhibitions. Which sounds like the art world to me. But your photographs seem to be real documentary photography.

I am just not sawy enough for this but I just don't see "artistic" work when looking at your images. Please do not misunderstand me now... Well, I just don't understand art I guess. Is there something to understand about art?

I hope I don't sound to stupid now.

Comment posted by Lea Kast on September 8, 2007

Both Sobol and Subotzky are stunningly impressive and original.

Subotzky's dedication to his subject is commendable...a deeply insightful study of a difficult social condition. Mandela's comment is prophetic, and worries me about the future.

Sobol is impressionistic, stark, and intuitive; a fresh eye that sizzles with originality. We see a brilliant intellect at work.

Sanguinetti has a more classical approach, but striking nonetheless. The key in her work is her ability to empathize.

Congratulations to all three! We look forward to three outstanding lifetimes.

Regards.

Comment posted by Animesh Ray on September 8, 2007

I disagree with Animesh in one point: I would not say that Alessandra Sanguinetti has a classical approach. I rather find her photographs to tell a story in a pretty untypical, dreamlike way. beautiful colors and compositions, perfect in a way, yet at the same time I feel a lot of pain when seeing these photographs. They make me sad...

Sobol's images do that to me too, but in a more direct and harsh way. A different way. That might be the use of black and white as well as the subject matter and the framing.

And what can I say about Subotzky... No matter if you call it art, journalism or something else. To me this is documentary photography at it's best.

Generally: Glad to see South Africa and South America represented. And once again Denmark of course. :-)

Comment posted by Arnold Szykowski on September 9, 2007

Dear Davin Ellicson

Thank you for the comment. You are not being intrusive. Sabine is a very personal story, therefore it also seems natural to me that I am asked personal questions. Though to answer your questions, I feel I have to tell a more of the story.

It is now 5 years since Sabine and I have seen each other. Sabine is still living in East Greenland. To make it short, I can tell you that she is well, and that she has a son, who is one year old.

From 1999-2002 Sabine and I both lived in Greenland and Denmark, and though our love for each other was strong, we realized that none of us could change our lives completely and start a new life in a foreign place. It was a very difficult and painful decision for both of us.

When I was living in Greenland I had no specific plans for the pictures I was taking. The project started out as a documentary, but after meeting Sabine, there was no photographic project any more. Now it was all about me making a living with Sabine. Learning how to speak East Greenlandic, hunt, repair the nets or clean the fur - everyday life.
When I picked up the camera again 6 months later, I felt I was no longer photographing to be daring or to prove anything. I did no longer wait for the 'The Decisive Moment' or an extreme situation to dramatize my story. I photographed to record some of the moments and emotions I shared with Sabine, and that I wanted to remember and keep with me. Sabine blowing me a kiss, Sabine laughing, Sabine jealous, Sabine sad, Sabine sleeping etc.

Some months after our relationship ended I started going through all the contact sheets documenting my life with Sabine during more than two and a half years. I know that writing the stories and editing the book was a way for me to stay with Sabine and Greenland. In the beginning I still thought I was creating a story of life in the settlement, but in the end it had to be Sabine. Sabine is Greenland.

When the book was ready I sent a dummy to Sabine, and we went through the pictures one by one. I wanted Sabine to see it first. Her impression was crucial to me, because the book was meant as a tribute to her and life in Greenland. I only talked with Sabine about the book this one time. She was proud that I would make a book out of love to her. Some images she was shy about, other scenes amused her. In the end she said it was my book, and my decision, if I wanted to publish it. A few months after the book came out in Danish and East Greenlandic.

In the beginning I talked with Sabine about the exhibitions I was doing, but I think she lost interest in this a long time ago. She has other issues in her life that are more important to her now. When I talk with her, she is more interested in telling about life in the settlement or to hear how me and my family are doing. Though every time I put together an exhibition, it is a very emotional thing to me. I respect Sabine, and it is important to me that the pictures are shown in an appropriate context.

Davin Ellicson: At first the pictures made me think of the long history of Westerners going to live with indigenous peoples and the tricky line that sometimes must be navigated between respect and exploitation. . . Where do such issues figure in here, if they do at all?

Today most Greenlandic people will be offended, if you talk about them as not being part of western society. Greenland has gone through a rapid development during the last 50 years, and today the newest flat-screen TV and a big motor on your boat have become status symbols. For each year there a fewer hunters and more people taking education, working in the service industry or in the factories.
Whether you like the development or not - in some parts of Greenland - it can be difficult to find people who are 100% Inuit. There is a great mixture of Greenlandic, Danish and other - mostly European - blood in all areas of the Island. In other words, in 2007, the line between Indigenous people and Western is not as obvious as your question indicates.

I guess - to some people - the simplification of the woman and the unexplored land can awake misgivings of a Western going to live with the Indigenous people to exploit them. Other people might look at the work as an intimate and humble love story told through emotions and fragments of everyday life. Of course, in my mind, I have made the book and exhibition out of love to Sabine and her country. But I do not control what thoughts my images awake in people. It will always depend on the eyes that look.

Jacob Aue Sobol

Comment posted by Jacob Aue Sobol on September 10, 2007

First I would like to take a moment to applaud Mr. Fuchs and the Magnum staff for providing such keen insights behind the Magnum curtain. For about a decade now, I have been collecting books by under the Magnum imprinter, being awestruck by Magnum photos, and enchanted by Magnum photographers. I have even attended events honoring Magnum photographers, but I have never felt ... connected to them as I have since I began to really pay attention as this website matures. So thanks for that.

Futhermore, I appreciate this intimate peek into the Magnum selection process. If a choice must be made and only one (or two) of the candidates is allowed to move on, I do not envy the jurists. It seems to me that this is an exceptionally strong class. (But what do I know? I've only come to know successful applicants.) As a subscriber to Aperture magazine and a regular promenader of the NYC photo gallery scene, I have had some exposure to Subotozsky and Sanguinetti. Her images have a brilliant depth of breath-taking intimacy; I love how poignantly embedded he is with his subjects. I suppose if one combined her intimacy and his embeddedness one gets a rather indiscreet pun on the Sobol + Sabine tandem, whose images are for me a real revelation. They seem to helix the mad charm of Eugene Smith with the alien sensibility of Eikoh Hosoe (no disrepectful comparsion meant, its meant more as an honorable analog).

What impresses me most about these candidates is that you can see that they think and care deeply about not merely documenting but representing their subjects as something more than polished images. They honor them. As each suggests in their own way, their images aren't merely about capturing "beautiful" Art or "authentic" Documentation but consistently striving to grasp something unique beneath the flesh of unique individuals (respect, love, devotion).

It all reaffirms my optimistic sense in humanity that Magnum continues to uphold its tradition of selecting (and thereby honoring) the vague but sublime tradition of concerned photography.

Godspeed Alessandra, Jacob and Mikhael, one and all.

Comment posted by verninino on September 11, 2007

Congratulations Alessandra, Jacob and Mikhael. Fantastic work ! i love the passion, dedication and tenacity viewed in the photographs. awe inspiring !

Mikhael the use of the panoramic format transcends the brevity and brings the subject's story home to the viewer on their laps (virtual). the ability to impart the story beyond the standard 'frames' is amazing. cool !

thank you for this opportunity !
cory Lum

Comment posted by cory Lum on September 11, 2007

Hi Mikhael

Big pity I missed your recent walkabout at the Goodman Cape. Wonderful, powerful images. For me, the portrait of the young child encapsulates something of our times – degradation, abuse, rape, alcoholism, gender inequalities, HIV - the image (and context) is so relevant, and incredibly disturbing.

You spoke of gallery sales funding work that got you into Magnum. I’m glad I could contribute to the ‘post-Magnum nomination’ output! Please tell me more about the Mallies Family, Rustdene Township, Beaufort West, 2006?

Looking forward to what's yet to come!
Sean

Comment posted by Sean Brown on September 12, 2007

3 greats photografers

Comment posted by jose on September 12, 2007

Respecting Magnum's competitive environment, I like Alessandra Sanguinetti best.

Comment posted by Peter on September 13, 2007

Thanks for your message Sean, and for your support of my work. The gallery told me about the level of interest that you had in the stories behind the work, and I really appreciate that from somebody who is going to have one of my prints. I spent a large proportion of my time with that particular family and a number of photographs of them appear in the extended Beaufort West edit. I was very moved by the simultaneous warmth and bleakness of their situation - especially in relation to the daughter's work as a prostitute. I would be more then happy to share more with you if you want to drop me a line or an email when I'm back in SA. Thank you all for the comments from both within (John Vink) and without Magnum.

Comment posted by Mikhael Subotzky on September 13, 2007

Ok, Jacob, thanks for the response. I lived with a peasant family myself for a year in northern Romania a few years ago and was just interested in hearing about your experience. . . I guess it was key that you didn't just make a 'documentary' about Greenlandic life as specificity (focusing on the personal) is where the documentary tradition can be furthered today. . .

Davin

Comment posted by Davin Ellicson on September 14, 2007

Mikhael, congratulations on a very much deserved nomination. I’d just like to comment on the “art”/ photojournalism debate. This may often be overplayed but to an interested outsider looking into the world of photojournalism it seems to be crucial one. I’ve nothing against photojournalists selling signed prints to collectors if this finances their projects. I realise how hard it would be to make a living if you could only count on press sales. However; looking at some of the portfolios on the Magnum site and others, it’s clear that a some photographers are more interested in the gallery sales than in producing quality photojournalism. This “art for art’s sake” photography leads to bland, repetitive, meaningless images which probably look ok on a trendy New York gallery wall but do very little to further the cause of photojournalism. The more photojournalists consider themselves to be “artists” the more their work suffers. I also suspect that this debate is one of the reasons why a number of excellent photojournalists have chosen to leave Magnum recently. Being chosen for Magnum will I’m sure be very positive for your work but be careful. I can think of at least one young photographer who joined Magnum with an amazing portfolio but has done very little since unless I’ve missed something in the last 10-15 years. Perhaps the quest for “art” was the reason for this disappointment.

Comment posted by James Cox on September 24, 2007

A short conversation with the new Magnum nominees

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