5.22.2018

THE NEW YORK PORTFOLIO REVIEW 2018


Muxes © Nelson Morales 
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Nelson Morales, NY Portfolio Review 2018

Nelson Morales: 
Muxes 
"This project started eight years ago when I began photographing my culture in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. During that period, I already knew my sexual orientation, however I rejected the idea of becoming a Muxe. The Muxes of Oaxaca are considered to be the third sex in Mexico, they do not define themselves as homosexuals, they have surpassed this idea. They are rather considered to be a mixture between both genders, and people in a constant search for beauty. They are accepted by society, it is said that for a family it is a blessing to have one Muxe at home, since they are hardworking and care for their parents as they get older."


 
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 Reatile Moalusi holding ‘Pigment’
NY Portfolio Review 2018


Pigment © Reatile Moalusi

 Roadside Memorial © Reatile Moalusi
 
Reatile Moalusi:  
Mmollo Wa Badimo + Roadside Memorial
“Roadside Memorial marks the spot where a person was killed as one drives across the South African landscape.” Describing himself as a social awareness documentary photographer with a conceptual outlook, South African Moalusi said he looks at things that are misunderstood or that have misconceptions around which he then engages. "The portraits within 'Mmollo Wa Badimo’ convey a sense of character through capturing the embodied contrasts of Vitiligo. Now I’m in a phase where I want to also tell a story, so I accompany my photography with videos where the subjects can tell of their experiences."

 

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Erica Garner’s coffin outside the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem
Photograph  © Demetrius Freeman

Demetrius Freeman: 
Be a Human First, Then Take the Photo
Demetrius Freeman is a visual journalist based out of New York City who specializes  in documentary, editorial, and portrait photography. He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Metro Desk. Demetrius interned at The Chautauquan Daily, The New York Times, The Tampa Bay Times, and worked as a photographer for the New York City Mayor’s Office. His work has been seen on CNN, ESPN, Newsweek, Mother Jones, and more. Caption to his photograph: Erica Garner’s coffin outside the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem.

 

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  Laura Bennett, NY Portfolio Review 2018 

  Umbilical © Laura Bennett 
Laura Bennett: 
Umbilicus
"My work as an artist has always addressed some aspect of the female experience. As a mother of nine, I spent many years moving to the rhythm of others.” ‘Umbilicus' won the Portfolio Showcase Award at Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado.

 

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Alexis Ruiseco-Lombera, NY Portfolio Review 2018

"La China" © Alexis Ruiseco-Lombera

Alexis Ruiseco-Lombera: 
Non-Binary Cuban-born Visual Artist and Performer 
Now based in Brooklyn, Alexis' work investigates notions of identity, trauma, and displacement; responding to hyper-masculinity within Cuban culture; prompted by non-binary constructions of gender and sexuality, with works shown at Milk Gallery NYC; Kendal Gallery, Miami; the Leslie Lohman Museum; featured in VICE; Teeth Magazine; and as a performer at the Museum of Modern Art. 


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Ogunjobi Oladapo, NY Portfolio Review 2018

  Mammon Collection © Ogunjobi Oladapo 

Ogunjobi Oladapo: 
Mammon Collection
Oladapo arrived from Lagos, Nigeria the day before the reviews. “Mammon in the New Testament of the Bible is commonly thought to mean money, material wealth and any entity that promises riches. Being aware of how money affects our existence, I’ve chosen to produce a collection on the subject using U.S. and Nigerian currencies.” 

 

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Susana Raab, NY Portfolio Review 2018

  Familia, Huanchaco, Peru © Susana Raab
Susana Raab: 
Precious Stranger
"Peruvian by birth and father, I left the country at the age of two when my parents divorced.  Estranged from my father for nearly all my life, Peru has always been a sort of enigmatic talisman for me, a key piece of a fractured identity.  When I first started visiting the country about 15 years ago, I was surprised to find myself affectionately called la cholita gringa by my friends and acquaintances.” A forthcoming photobook is excerpted in part on her Instagram @precious_stranger by Peruvian American photographic artist Susana Raab.

 

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  Lindsey Beal, NY Portfolio Review 2018
  
Vaginal Tube + Wirework Speculum © Lindsey Beal
Lindsey Beal: 
Parturition 
“... is a photographic archive and written history of centuries past obstetric and gynecological tools. When I set out to photograph these items in various medical libraries, I expected to find gruesome tools; instead, I often found early forms of implements still in use today such as forceps and speculums.  Some were created pre-germ theory and used materials such as leather, wood, horn or ivory.  Others more closely resemble and use materials familiar to us today.” Featured in the New York Times Lens Blog, April 16, 2018.

 

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Felli Maynard, NY Portfolio Review 2018
 
  Investigation into Self © Felicita “Felli” Maynard

Felicita “Felli” Maynard: 
Investigation into Self
"I create artwork as a way to further understand myself, and help others understand themselves. I focus on themes revolving around the African diaspora, the Black body and issues concerning gender and sexuality.My work focuses a lot on dismantling history's romance with the exploitation of Black bodies by non Black protagonists. I work across alternative photography processes, digital art, altar work and an exploration of organic materials.” Felicita “Felli” Maynard is a first generation Afrolatinx genderqueer interdisciplinary artist. 


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  Emma Horning, NY Portfolio Review 2018

  Spiral Season © Emma Horning
Emma Horning: 
Spiral Season
"As night approaches, two realms form, bound by a central core. At center stage, the players assemble and prepare, the audience arrives, and the scene comes alive with light and sound. Controlled by focus, tightly wound and built on history, a feeling is created unique to this time right now….I spent four seasons attending high school football games. Having scant knowledge of the sport, I entered the grounds with my own agenda and history, seeking to understand and exist in both spaces, while allowing the night to take me where it wished."

 

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Renluka Maharaj, NY Portfolio Review 2018  
Finding My Place © Renluka Maharaj

Renluka Maharaj: 
Finding My Place
Renluka Maharaj was born in Trinidad, West Indies and moved to New York City as a child. Her work investigates this bisecting of place through the usage of photography, installations and personal narratives. References to Hindu iconography, displacement and colonialism are themes that run throughout her work.

 

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Jingna Zhang, NY Portfolio Review 2018

Porcelain © Jingna Zhang

Photographs © Jingna Zhang

Jingna Zhang: 
Fantasy Series
Jingna Zhang was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list 2018, Photographer of the Year at ELLE Awards Singapore 2011, and a recipient of the 7th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers. Now living in New York City and Tokyo, she has a keen eye for painterly and romantic imageries in her fashion and fine art photography. At 20, Jingna had worked with Mercedes Benz and Ogilvy & Mather, Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, and held her first solo exhibition at Singapore’s Arts House. In the years since, Jingna's works have appeared on multiple editions of VOGUE, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR. Her fine art works have exhibited in New York, Hong Kong, Lisbon, and Singapore.

 

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  Debbie Lerman, NY Portfolio Review 2018 

Grandmothers Flower Garden © Debbie Lerman

Debbie Lerman:
Uncovering

Debbie Lerman is a writer and photographer living in Philadelphia. Her project "Uncovering Bodies" challenges traditional gender roles and relationships through non-traditional print and photographic techniques. What does it mean to be gendered or non-gendered? Is there such a thing as women’s art vs. everything else? What are societal expectations of male and female bodies and behaviors, and how might they be subverted? “Uncovering Bodies” raises these questions and more, inviting active participation and interpretation and suggesting new ways of seeing ourselves in, with, and through each other.


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It was an honor again to be a Reviewer for the 6th annual New York Portfolio Review, sponsored by The New York Times Lens Blog, the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and United Photo Industries. This year, 70 leading editors, museum curators, book publishers and gallerists reviewed the work of 160 photographers over the weekend of April 21st and 22nd. Saturday was a full day of portfolio reviews for photographers 21 years and older and Sunday was devoted to young photographers between the age of 18 and 27 and included not only portfolio reviews, but also free workshops and professional development sessions. 

The Reviews are completely free for all photographers chosen to attend. Free to enter and free to attend thanks to the tireless work of the organizers and producer’s James Estrin and David Gonzalez, Co-Editors of The New York Times LENS Blog; Laura Roumanos, of United Photo Industries; and Ania Bartkowiak, Producer of The New York Times LENS Blog. The Reviews were held at the impressive CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. 

All genre's of photographic work — from fine art to photojournalism — were included. From a Reviewers standpoint, the quality of work is always extremely high as it’s first been vetted by top photo professionals. Today I’ve shared the 13 photographers I reviewed with you.

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