“We cannot take anything or anyone for granted. Let us celebrate what is beautiful in life. Let us go through the hard times and remain standing.” With these words we enter into the poetics of Basque photographer Andoni Beristain who, with simple objects and colorful landscapes pays homage to the beauty of life. His Basque origins are fundamental in his research and particularly evident in his aesthetic. In his still life photographs, his personal vision of life emerges: colorful, optimistic and ironic.

With this series of shots by Andoni Beristain that we are offering today, we evoke the coming summer and everyone’s desire for carefree time. But despite the warm colors, the sea, the beach, and elements such as plastic chairs and fans that immediately harken back to summertime, a certain nostalgia lurks behind these shots. Summer lightness is accompanied by a streak of loneliness. A chair is alone in the sea. A game is carried by the waves. An egg hangs in the sun. A man floats alone in the sea. These are all lonely scenes that evoke a certain sense of abandonment. Probably, with these shots Andoni chooses to call to mind the dualism typical of summer, on the one hand we long for it but on the other hand we never get to enjoy it. And here Beristain’s phrase returns and his desire to teach us to savor the moment, to be able to lead the classic slow life, which is increasingly difficult to implement today.

Courtesy Andoni Bernstein

Born in 1980, J. Jason Chambers is an American photographer who captures America through his shots, traveling from state to state and drawing inspiration from the New Topographics Movement. As you browse through the photographer’s shots, it feels like you’re seeing a very different America from what we imagine. Bright neon signs, gas stations, and old cars suspended in an almost cinematic atmosphere. Chambers appears to be in constant motion, from California to Wall Street, passing through the desert. The photographs taken in New York contrast with the desert suggestions of New Mexico and the Texan landscapes of Marfa.

J. Jason Chambers’ reflection on a new man-influenced topography is inspired by an exhibition from 1975 in Rochester called New Topographics. On this occasion, ten photographers showcased their work, dealing with the arrival of Conceptualism and Minimalism in photography during the 1970s. In 2010, the SFMoMA decided to revive this exhibition, revealing the pre-existing bridge between the world of contemporary art and photography.

The point of convergence between Chambers’ photography and New Topographics lies in the relationship between man and the environment. Gas stations, motels, or parking lots have now become part of our imagination when it comes to landscapes, just as they were in the 1970s.

To discover more shots by J. Jason Chambers here is his Instagram profile.

Ph. courtesy J. Jason Chambers

With a photo-journalistic approach, photographer Luca Marino searches for the absurd in situations. Born in London to an Italian father and a Colombian mother, Marino is attracted to those details that often go unnoticed, “I look where no one else looks,” he says. Among the streets of the great metropolis of London, Luca Marino makes two projects, “Oxford Street Paradox” and “Transport for London.“

In the first project – “Oxford Street Paradox” – the photographer’s much sought-after absurdity is evident, which, at times, deceives the viewer. The photographs capture passersby on the city’s busiest shopping street – Oxford Street – appearing totally deformed. This effect is not achieved in post production, Marino in fact shoots the reflective surface of a cloister that creates funny altered images. With irony and levity, the photographer uses this natural “alteration” to point out how crazy our shopping habits have become, bordering on compulsive.

Also in the second project – “Transport for London” – Luca Marino shows what is often not looked at but rather, ignored. In this case, the protagonists are the employees of London’s transport system, from buses to the underground. People we do not pay attention to but who are responsible for the city’s road system. They allow us to move from one side of the city to the other, but they remain in the shadows. Luca Marino, in collaboration with the company, gets in touch with the hidden side of the famous Underground, photographing employees in their offices and rest rooms. He captures moments of cleanliness, including the sanctification of the carriages during the period of health emergency dictated by covid-19.

Ph Credits Luca Marino
Courtesy Luca Marino