For our annual issue of Aint–Bad Magazine, we have teamed up with an amazing selection of curators, editors, gallerists, educators, and publishers to offer a chance to have your work seen by some of the best names in the industry. All of our guest curators have trained eyes and know what they are looking for in a photograph. The goal of issue No.13 is to put your work directly in front of eyes of these curators. Julia Wilson recently had the chance to ask Zemie Barr a few questions concerning photography and her thoughts on the medium. Learn more about what motivates Zemie Barr and what she is thinking about today!

JW: Culturally, we seem to have placed the onus of bearing witness to our lives (more like every waking moment) on photography. Do you think in the ever-increasing surfeit of images, that we as a society, have devolved the power of photography? How can photography be revitalized?

ZB: As a visual person, I welcome the inundation of images. Granted, not every image is interesting to me, but I never get tired of looking. Plus, an image that doesn’t resonate with me was significant to the photographer for some reason, and that on its own can be fascinating, as we share more and more of our lives visually on social media. The fact that digital technology is more accessible and economical allows more people to have the chance to experiment with photography. More exposure to image-making tools teaches us to be skeptical of images as objective documents and to recognize that a photograph is just as reliable as its author. However, to make photography that rises to the top and gets noticed requires discipline and a dedication to one’s practice, however that manifests beyond a casual engagement with image making. So, no, I don’t think that the multitude of images takes away from photography’s power to inspire, inform, or document. It’s just a bit harder to take in everything, so viewers have to be more astute and selective, and I think that’s where curated art spaces and publications like Aint Bad still have a place in all of this. Providing a physical space for images can help slow down the viewing experience a bit. I enjoy looking at digital images on a screen (Instagram is one of my favorite ways to see new photography) but I’ve found that nothing compares to seeing photographs in the physical world.

JW: In addition, what makes a photograph ‘experimental?” Do you think experimental photography has to break its traditional ancestral spell of ‘the real,’ so steeped in the document? Do you have a favorite ‘experimental’ photographer or photograph?

ZB: I use the term “experimental” fairly loosely to mean work that pushes viewers to rethink what photography is and can be on a formal level. When you draw attention to the formal aspects of the medium like that, you can’t help but be aware that you are looking at a photograph that has been framed in a certain way by a particular person, rather than assuming it is an objective document. More and more it seems as if many artists are focused on these formal concerns as well as working interdisciplinarily, so this experimental genre as I’m describing it is not particularly rare, but I do think it’s often misunderstood or dismissed by those who prefer more straightforward photography (and vice-versa).

It’s difficult for me to pick just one favorite artist as an example, but Blue Sky showed Sylwia Kowalczyk’s stunning series Lethe last year so it’s fresh in my mind. When our Gallery Manager, Amanda, first showed me her work online, I was immediately drawn in by the textures and almost tangible quality of the images, even on the screen. When the exhibition arrived, this tactilily was even more striking, with her layered collage-based process of ripping, composing, and re-photographing made even more readily apparent up-close. I love how in this series Sylwia is experimenting with how a photograph is made while also visualizing the often disjointed, piecemeal process of recalling the past and the inevitable loss of memory over time.

JW: What would you say to a Martian who asks, ‘What is photography?’ What would you show them?

ZB: I would probably start by saying that a photograph is an image that represents a moment in time created using light. I would then most likely demonstrate one way to make an image using my mobile phone, because to be honest, that’s the tool I use most when creating my own work. Perhaps this Martian could be a photographer, too (or is already light-years ahead of us)!

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ISSUE NO.13 – CALL FOR ENTRY

 

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For our annual issue of Aint–Bad Magazine, we have teamed up with an amazing selection of curators, editors, gallerists, educators, and publishers to offer a chance to have your work seen by some of the best names in the industry. All of our guest curators have trained eyes and know what they are looking for in a photograph. The goal of issue No.13 is to put your work directly in front of eyes of these curators.

While there is no specific theme for this call for entry, we are asking to see your best work! Take a look at the list of curators working with us on this publication. Look into their practice, see what they like. Take a look at the Aint–Bad Archives to get a sense of the imagery that we have been publishing over the last few years both online and in print. Does your work have what it takes to be selected as a printed artist in issue No. 13? Show us! Submit today! This call for entry will end on August 10th, so while you are enjoying this hot summer weather, be sure to dig through your hard drives and select work that will impress the curators, and the world!

Each curator will select two photographers from the submissions to feature and interview for the printed publication. Fifteen curators. Thirty photographers. This issue is collaboration at it’s finest. The final result will be a beautiful, hand-curated issue of the best contemporary photography in existence today. In addition to all of the above, we hope to partner with the curators further to exhibit work from the issue in various galleries and institutions around the world.

Please let us know if you have any questions. First, take a look at our FAQs at the bottom of this page.

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Submission Deadline
August 10th, 2018

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Meet the Curators

 

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FAQ :

How much does it cost to submit?
You can submit up to twenty photographs for $25.

Why is there a fee to submit to this call?
We are asking each photographer to pay a submission fee in order to help with the costs of printing this publication. Printing aint cheap! Aint–Bad strives to use the best materials available to create a publication that is a work of art in itself. All funds collected from submission fees will be used to produce this issue of Aint–Bad Magazine.

Can I submit more than one project?
Yes! However, each submission fee is valid for ONE body of work. We want to see your strongest body of work. If you feel that you need to submit a second body of work, you may do so by paying another submission fee and submitting a different project.

When will I be notified if I am selected for this issue?
All selected artists will be notified by mid-August. Photographers that are chosen for this issue will be required to answer interview questions from the guest curators.

What happens if I am not chosen for print?
If you are not selected by our guest curators for print, your work will be passed to the Aint–Bad Editors, and will have an opportunity to be published on our website as an article or interview. You will be notified via email if your work is chosen for an online feature.

Can I submit a collaborative project?
Yes, you can submit a project that has been created by yourself and other artists. Please submit under the name that you would like to appear in print if you are selected.