Looking Back: Ten Years of Pier 24 Photography

Joseph Bellows Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming solo exhibition by Charles Johnstone, In Search of the Perfect Palm. The exhibition will run February 22nd through March 28th in the gallery’s atrium space, with an opening reception with the artist on Saturday the 22nd of February, from 5-7pm. The exhibition presents Johnstone’s homage to the 19th Century explorer and photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey. In 1842, Girault de Prangey set out on a three-year expedition to the Eastern Mediterranean equipped with a camera and a newfound knowledge of the Daguerreotype process. On this journey he came across a palm tree near the Church of Saints Theodore in Athens that would prove to be a subject worthy of his camera. The view captured by Girault de Prangey in one of photography’s earliest processes was very modern and unusual for its time, depicting a close-up view of the palm’s fronds against the sky. In 2019, upon seeing this full plate daguerreotype image made by Girault de Prangey in the exhibition, A Monumental Journey held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Johnstone was inspired to search for the perfect palm. In Search of the Perfect Palm will feature small-scale direct positive Polaroid prints. These unique Polaroid prints created by Johnstone on expired batches of Polaroid film stock render his selected palms small in scale, and with the intimacy of viewing akin to the solidarity of beholding a Daguerreotype. In Johnstone’s photographs, the palm tree is held against the same cerulean sky that the artist encountered in Girault de Prangey’s photograph, and rendered with the inherent artifacts and image inconsistencies that are characteristic of the unpredictable nature of expired film, recalling results indicative to early Daguerreotype images. With this, Johnstone’s work forms a link to the medium’s past, while suggesting the immediacy of the present through the photographer’s quest to capture a fleeting sense of the beauty and symbolism his subject conveys. Charles Johnstone is a self-taught photographer, whose works feature his immediate surroundings and environments encountered during travel. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Berlin. Johnstone’s books and photographs are included in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of the City of New York, and the International Center of Photography. He was the subject of the 2022 documentary, Remnants of Memory, a film that celebrates beauty in the overlooked, anonymous objects we pass every day, in which Johnstone explores the vivid canals and ancient passageways of Venice, Italy in search of a new book project.

The epic historical and artistic photographs of O. Winston Link (1914-2001) celebrate the wonder of the now obsolete steam-powered locomotive. With the exhibition Hot Shot, Robert Mann Gallery presents a selection of classic images from Linkʼs body of work produced in the 1950s. When the Norfolk & Western Railway began to convert its operations from steam to diesel, Link spent five years documenting the trains and the towns along the line in Virginia. A longtime hero of railfans, Link received overdue art world recognition for the prescience of his photographic vision in the decades before his death. His flare for cinematic mise-en-scène and for staging images is now acknowledged to have paved the way for the dramatic tableaux of luminaries such as Gregory Crewdson and Jeff Wall, while his interest in the socio-historical infrastructure of the railroad has inspired another vein of photographers such as Jeff Brouws and Mark Ruwede A consummate craftsman, Link yielded an array of artificial lighting innovations to produce exactly the atmosphere he desired, resulting in images that are uncanny and magical. A plane, a train and some automobiles are all aspects of high-speed American imagery in the iconic Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1956. Here the dramatic nature of Linkʼs production thematized by the eroticism-tinged space of the drive-in movie theater. Carefree summer nights continue for the children splashing playfully at the Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole as a locomotive barrels by overhead. That his works have variously been described as surrealist, futurist, Norman Rockwell-ian, filmic, an (constructed) historical documents, is testament to their profound appeal as images. Indeed, for all their artful construction, his railroad photographs do not merely fetishize the sumptuous effects of smoke and light, but contextualize the trains within human narratives. Linkʼs works brilliantly animate the iconic steam railroad as a fantastical aspect of a bygone, everyday American life. Having worked directly with the artist in the last decade of his life, Robert Mann Gallery remains the premier source for and expert on the photographs of O. Winston Link. His legacy is honored in the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, Virginia. Linkʼs photographs are held in numerous prominent museum collections internationally, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, The Permanent Collections at Haverford College, Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Featuring work by: Man Ray, György Kepes, André Kertész, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Oliver Gagliani, Jaromír Funke, Florence Henri, Josef Sudek, Ruth Bernhard, Bill Brandt, Josef Bartuška, Josef Ehm, Foto Ada, Ferenc Haar, Miroslav Hák, Philippe Halsman, Tibor Honty, István Kerny, Jiří Lehovec, Nathan Lerner, Emila Medková, László Osoha, Vilém Reichmann, Jan Saudek, Jindřich Štyrský, Drahotín Šulla, Karel Teige, Geza Vandor, František Vobecký, and Eugen Wiškovský. The Robert Koch Gallery is pleased to present an homage to Surrealism with an exhibition of surrealist photographs created between the years 1924 -1989. Drawn from the gallery’s holdings, this exhibition celebrates the centenary of Surrealism and its broad, historical influence on art. Surrealism revolutionized art and visual culture. Emerging in the aftermath of World War I, Surrealism responded to the disillusionment and trauma of the time, seeking to unlock the unconscious mind and explore alternate realities. Its influence endures, continuing to inspire contemporary artists and their exploration of the subconscious. This curated exhibition brings together works by American, British, Czech, French, Hungarian and Mexican photographers, examining how surrealism has shaped and intersected with artistic traditions over the past century. This exhibition illuminates Surrealism’s lasting legacy in photography, offering an insightful exploration of how artists from diverse backgrounds redefined the boundaries of visual art over the past century. Surrealism challenged conventional perspectives and continues to influence contemporary art, pushing the boundaries of how we perceive the world and our subconscious. This exhibition underscores the movement’s pivotal role in reshaping visual language and expanding the possibilities of photographic expression.

Paul Cupido, Cig Harvey, Jeffrey Conley, and Pentti Sammallahti The intricate connection between humanity and nature is as timeless as it is profound: a delicate interplay of observation, reverence, and shared existence. Presented by Peter Fetterman Gallery and Leica Store San Francisco, Interwoven brings together the evocative works of Paul Cupido, Cig Harvey, Jeffrey Conley, and Pentti Sammallahti, each artist offering a unique perspective on our relationship with the natural world. Paul Cupido’s ethereal compositions blur boundaries, inviting us to experience nature as an emotional and spiritual realm. His images, suspended between memory and reality, embody the fleeting and ephemeral beauty of life itself. Cig Harvey’s vivid and poetic imagery bridges the sensory and the symbolic. Through her lens, nature becomes a richly textured canvas, intertwining human presence with landscapes that feel both intimate and otherworldly. Jeffrey Conley’s black-and-white landscapes honor the serene and timeless rhythms of nature. With a mastery of light and shadow, Conley transforms ordinary moments into meditative spaces that quietly remind us of the earth’s enduring beauty. Pentti Sammallahti’s storytelling captures the harmony and humor of life in the natural world. His monochromatic works reveal fleeting moments of connection between humans, animals, and their shared environment, underscoring the unity of all living beings. Together, these artists weave a visual narrative that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between humans and nature. Their works ask us to reflect on our place within this intricate web and inspire us to see the natural world with renewed awe, gratitude, and respect. Interwoven is a celebration of this vital relationship, urging us to recognize nature not only as a backdrop to our lives but as an inseparable part of who we are.

“What knowing watchfulness in the eyes of a twelve-year-old… at once guarded, yet guileless. She is the very picture of contradiction: on the one hand diffident and ambivalent, on the other forthright and impatient; half pertness and half pout. Impossibly, she is both artless and sophisticated, a child and yet a woman.” - Sally Mann from At Twelve (1988) Jackson Fine Art is delighted to announce the premiere of previously unreleased photographs from Sally Mann’s groundbreaking series At Twelve: Portraits of Young Women, a collective portrait of twelve-year-olds on the verge of adulthood. The artist is renowned for her evocative work exploring themes of family, identity, and the American South. The portraits in this exhibition were taken by Mann between 1983-1985 with her large format camera in Rockbridge County, Virginia, the artist’s birthplace and where she continues to live and draw inspiration. She revisited her At Twelve archive last year, discovering unseen treasures, remarking: “One of the advantages of a long life is that you get to go back and revisit parts of your work that were overlooked, sometimes inexplicably, in early years.” Twelve is an age of expanding horizons, enriched by social experiences and shared connections. It is also a transitional period, navigating the delicate space between childhood and adulthood. The At Twelve portraits reveal this delicate balance, portraying both the innocence of youth and the yearning for maturity. The young women in these images are relatives or daughters of friends, but also, many are others living in her small Virginia community who trusted the artist to capture their individual spirit with grace and honesty. Taken nearly forty years ago, these images continue to hold relevance today, bridging the past and present in their exploration of this transformative stage in a young woman’s life. We are honored to be able to present the exhibition in close collaboration with the artist and Gagosian. Jackson Fine Art has exhibited Mann’s work since 1996 and this the artist’s sixth solo exhibition with the gallery. Image: Untitled, "At Twelve" Series (Lisa and Jenny on Car), 1983-1985 © Sally Mann

This February and March, Pictura Gallery is showing My Weather Diary by Finnish artist Jari Silomäki. Since 2001, Silomäki has made and catalogued one photograph for each day, starting with the idea that world events, personal events, and the weather will always repeat themselves.Silomäki examines our access to world news and the effect it can have on our emotional states. The series shares the artist’s private moments on any given day, and also a shared experience of history, despite our geographic locations.

ROSEGALLERY is pleased to present The Language of Form, a presentation of works by Chiron Duong, Karl Blossfeldt, Manfred Müller, and Rinko Kawauchi that examines the roles that stillness and movement play in artistic endeavors. Viewers are invited to reflect on the enduring beauty of natural forms that illustrate the potential of organic shapes through photographs and collages. Through a blend of meticulously composed still- life photography and evocative collage works, the exhibition bridges the worlds of stillness and motion. Photography captures fleeting moments of exquisite detail, freezing the delicate textures and intricate patterns of flora, fauna, and organic materials. The collages, on the other hand, translate these natural inspirations into tactile, three-dimensional forms that celebrate movement, balance, and structure. The exhibition highlights the works of Manfred Müller, whose sculptures fuse geometric precision with organic inspiration, creating forms that evoke both strength and fragility. Chiron Duong’s still-life photography reimagines traditional aesthetics with modern narratives, celebrating the beauty of flowers and cultural motifs in intricate, layered compositions. Rinko Kawauchi’s serene photographic meditations capture ephemeral moments in nature, blending soft light and subtle textures to evoke a sense of quiet wonder. These contemporary works are presented alongside the pioneering photographs of Karl Blossfeldt, whose striking black-and-white close-ups of plants revealed the architectural elegance of nature and influenced generations of artists with their unique blend of aesthetic and scientific significance. The Language of Form underscores the timeless relationship between art and nature, stillness and vitality, form and flow, and celebrates the artistry of the natural world reimagined through the unique visions of these creators. A substantial amount of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles (PAC LA). PAC LA creates unique collaborative programming that engages and educates the community in an evolving public conversation about photography and photo-based art. Image: Chiron Duong

Weinstein Hammons Gallery is delighted to present Advice for Young Artists, an exhibition featuring fourteen new photographs by internationally acclaimed artist Alec Soth. The exhibition opens with a reception on Thursday, February 13th, from 6–8 PM, where the artist will be in attendance. Soth’s latest body of work, Advice for Young Artists, emerged from his visits to undergraduate art programs across the United States between 2022 and 2024. However, rather than dispensing direct guidance, Soth offers a contemplative meditation on the artistic journey, revealing the complexities of photography, time, and creative evolution. The images—ranging from structured classroom compositions to expressive, introspective moments—mark a significant evolution in Soth’s practice. Two decades after the release of his celebrated series Sleeping by the Mississippi, this new work revisits themes of artistic discovery and transformation with a fresh perspective. Renowned for his narrative-driven approach to photography, Alec Soth (b. 1969, Minneapolis, MN) has built a career rooted in curiosity, exploration, and an ever-evolving engagement with human connection. His work often captures moments of solitude, longing, and vulnerability, resonating deeply with viewers and fellow artists alike. With Advice for Young Artists, Soth continues to push boundaries, offering a nuanced reflection on the lifelong process of making art. Soth has published over twenty-five photobooks, beginning with his widely acclaimed monograph Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004). Other notable titles include NIAGARA (2006), Broken Manual (2010), Songbook (2015), I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating (2019), A Pound of Pictures (2022), and the most recent Advice for Young Artists (2024). In 2008, he founded Little Brown Mushroom, an independent publishing house based in Minnesota. His work has been the subject of major solo exhibitions worldwide, including at Jeu de Paume (Paris), Fotomuseum Winterthur (Switzerland), The Finnish Museum of Photography (Helsinki), El Museo de Bogotá (Colombia), and Deichtorhallen (Hamburg). His photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston), the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), among others. With Advice for Young Artists, Alec Soth continues his legacy as one of contemporary photography’s most thought-provoking storytellers, exploring the intersections of creativity, education, and the passage of time. Image: © Alec Soth

Mengwen Cao, Jess T. Dugan, Yorgos Efthymiadis, Matthew Leifheit, Laurence Philomene, Anne Vetter What makes a family? How do we define community? These fundamental questions are explored in the exhibition Nuclear Family, which re-imagines the concept of family, expanding our vision beyond traditional norms through the lens of LGBTQIA+ artists. Traditional family values. The universal phrase for how we perceive and accept families in public. We are reminded of the standard visual narrative of a family as two heterosexual parents and their children. Family dynamics are complicated, not all of us fit into this vision of perceived perfection. In expanding the idea of family, we see these photographers present honest and authentic portrayals of themselves, their families and the broader community, challenging viewers to confront their own biases and assumptions through fresh eyes. Featuring a diverse range of photographic and video works, the exhibition presents a compelling exploration of diverse family structures. Jess Dugan‘s A Letter to My Daughter is a poignant video essay that delves into the joys and challenges of parenthood. Mengwen Cao‘s Liminal Space celebrates the everyday beauty, intimacy, and resilience of queer and trans people of color, with a particular focus on Asian queer identities. Yorgos Efthymiadis‘ Lighthouse Keepers offers a series of intimate portraits of friends in their own spaces, providing a glimpse into the artist’s personal connections and his shared community. Laurence Philomene‘s vibrant and colorful images serve as a visual diary reflecting their environment and their own trans and non-binary identity. Anne Vetter‘s Love is not the Last Room explores themes of gender, attachment, and family through intimate portraits of themselves and their partner. Matthew Leifheit‘s Queer Archives delves into LGBTQIA+ history through objects and archives that remind the community of its origins and those who came before. These artists utilize photography and video not only to document their lives but also to challenge societal norms and celebrate the diversity of love and family structures. By reclaiming the genre of portraiture, often used to uphold traditional ideals, they create powerful and moving works that resonate with viewers on a deeply personal level. Nuclear Family was conceived and created by curator and artist Katalina Simon, in collaboration with Crista Dix, Executive Director of the Griffin Museum, and exhibition designer Yana Nosenko. Image: Liminal Space © Mengwen Cao

Imagine a world where it doesn’t matter who you love, just that you love. An Impossibly Normal Life is an artifact from another world, a more loving, inclusive one where who you love is of little societal importance. This fictional story, centered on my imagined uncle’s idealized life, is created from collected vintage snapshots from around the world. Four years ago, my mother offhandedly mentioned that I had an uncle who may have been gay, but he died not long after I was born. Hearing this revelation for the first time, nearly thirty years after I had struggled to come out to my disapproving family, sent my mind spinning. The thought of a family member so close to me going through some of the same things I did inspired me to create this story. Instead of returning to the hiding or shame of most pre-1970’s queer stories, a reality of how our world was (and in some cases, still is), I have created an alternate history where fluidity in gender and sexuality is the societal norm. Re-contexualizing found photographs and creating a new narrative, my Uncle Ken’s life becomes full of acceptance, friends and love, and shows anyone struggling with identity today the joy of what could have been and can still be.

Influenced by my own queer experience and ideals of mid-century American culture, my work investigates a familiar environment that alludes to something more enigmatic. Creating vignettes of this space and time allows for the images to exist in reality or remain fictitious. Initially making work about control of the environment, I am able to create a safe space for the narrative to unfold; purposely diverting from what we may consider conventional. The characters become distant protagonists as the work allows the viewer to respond as a voyeur. “Meditations in an Emergency” explores quiet amongst chaos. By focusing on themes of disaster and tragedy I am able to address the human condition; attempting to thrive in times of turmoil.

Leica Store & Gallery Los Angeles presents a landmark exhibition celebrating a century of innovation in photography: 100 YEARS OF LEICA. This iconic exhibit will feature the work of two renowned artists, Joel Meyerowitz and Barbara Davidson, honoring Leica's transformative role in shaping the world of photography. The exhibition kicks off a year-long celebration of Leica's centennial, with inspiring events, cultural highlights, and exclusive releases throughout 2025. For 100 years, Leica has been at the forefront of photographic technology and artistry, empowering photographers to capture defining moments that have shaped our visual culture. In celebrate this milestone, Leica Store & Gallery Los Angeles invites visitors to experience a diverse range of photographs that reflect the evolution of the medium— from the streets of the 20th century to today's contemporary landscapes. ''When I first began making photographs, my focus was often on capturing an action or event at the center of the frame,'' Joel Meyerowitz explained. ''But as I grew and began questioning my methods, influences, and photography itself, I realized it was time to move beyond what I already did well and aim for more challenging, engaging images. This shift led me to move away from the ‘incident-based photograph' and toward a broader, ‘deep space, field photograph,' where every element in the frame carries meaning. Rather than relying on a single ‘hook' to draw the viewer in, I aimed to capture the essence of the entire frame as a cohesive, meaningful space.'' In her collection of intimate images, Barbara Davidson explores the current American landscape through the lens of social injustice. She delves into the complexities of inequality, empowerment, and hope, capturing the intersections of these themes in contemporary culture. Through her Leica 100 collaboration, Davidson, alongside Meyerowitz, reveals how the American panorama has evolved and devolved since the golden era of street photography in the 1960's and 70's. Her work reflects the stunning persistence of America's complex social fabric, examining how people coexist in a radically changed yet enduring country. This exhibit kicks off the exciting year-long celebration for Leica's 100th anniversary. Throughout 2025, Leica will host a series of events, exhibitions, and exclusive product releases to commemorate its century of photographic excellence. Visitors to Leica Store & Gallery Los Angeles will have the opportunity to experience the enduring legacy of Leica through the works of legendary photographers like Meyerowitz and Davidson, whose contributions continue to shape the visual landscape of today.