
Alex Avgud, Olivier (as on a crucifix), 2019
Primal Sight by Efrem Zelony-Mindell
As a survey of contemporary black-and-white photography, Primal Sight subverts the historical roots of the discipline with instinctively feral imagery. In these works by 146 diverse artists, colour seems unnecessary. These heavy images go beyond individual experiences, with commonalities and differences highlighted, just as areas of light and dark are. Images are unusually printed on black pages with white ink, questioning photography’s reliance on light. Sharing a tonal vocabulary, 146 different visual questions are asked. Curated by Zelony-Mindell and published by Gnomic Books, inquisitive essays by David Campany and Gregory Eddi Jones make for powerful accompaniments to the images.
Writer: Sophie Gladstone

Sister Sister by Liv Liberg
Aged ten, Liv Liberg began photographing her younger sister Britt as a game to pass time at their family home in the Dutch countryside. Over time, the child’s play of dressing up in their parents’ clothes grew into a serious pursuit. Now, 15 years of this serious play has been compiled into Sister Sister, published by Art Paper Editions with design and edit by Jurgen Maelfeyt. Chaptered by month, we follow the sisters’ journey from childhood to adolescence twelve times over. Relatable sibling tensions add to the images, with Britt’s strong expressions conveying a mix of frustration and focus as Liv directs her. The Libergs’ obsessive creativity is clear in this transitional archive, reminding us how freeing a child-like lack of self-consciousness can be.
Writer: Sophie Gladstone

A Journey into fashion, 1980. Photography by Brian Griffin/Courtesy of FORMAT21
Black Country Dada by Brian Griffin
In Black Country Dada, renowned photographer Brian Griffin speaks frankly on the highs and lows of his career as he weaves personal histories with gems of advice and hair-raising anecdotes. Whether it was successfully asking Margaret Thatcher to dance for him, losing $10,000 in Mexico, encounters with the KGB, or being sacked by Vogue, the Black-Country photographer’s wit and creative ambition shine through. Reading Griffin’s autobiography, you see more than just his talent as a photographer; you understand how many elements came together to make his career; inventiveness, ego, charisma, luck and timing. For an in-person experience of Griffin’s works, his exhibition with FORMAT21 will be on show at QUAD in Derby, UK 17 May - 29 August.
Writer: Sophie Gladstone

Embrace by Rankin
Embrace captures the solitude and vulnerability many of us have faced during the last year. Though best known for portraits of people, British photographer Rankin chose decaying flowers as his metaphor of choice. These solitary portraits, posed against a dark, void-like backdrop, are wilting and singed with decay, yet resilient. ‘Self-isolation gave me the opportunity to take a step back and reflect on the disconnectedness we were all feeling,’ says Rankin. ‘For the first time in over 25 years, I was truly alone with my camera. The pandemic prevented me from capturing my usual subject matter - people - and provoked an entirely different artistic approach.’ Sales proceeds from Embrace - a collaboration between Rankin, design agency SEA and paper manufacturer Fedrigoni - will be directed to The Care Workers’ Charity, which provides urgent support grants for care workers who are shielding, self-isolating, or unable to work.
Writer: Harriet Lloyd-Smith

From A tale of one city by Daniel Stier
A tale of one city, by Daniel Stier
The work of photographer Daniel Stierbrings a critical eye to contemporary life. In A tale of one city, a stark story is told of our habits of mass consumption. As Stier explains, the book is ‘about the clashing of opposites, the simultaneity of extreme wealth and poverty, excess and deprivation that characterises one major city, but might just be a tale of them all’. Accompanied by thought-provoking essays from David Campany and Marvin Heiferman, these images of London relay a cacophony of construction in which both skyscrapers and inequalities grow.
Writer: Sophie Gladstone

Pictured: Self-Portrait/Nursing, 2004; Gina & April, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1998; National March for Gay and Lesbian Rights (EAT THE RICH for Fire Island Artist Residency), 1984/2017. Chromogenic print. Courtesy the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles; Lehmann Maupin, New York/Hong Kong/Seoul/London; Thomas Dane Gallery, London and Naples; and Peder Lund, Oslo
Catherine Opie
For nearly four decades, American fine art photographer Catherine Opie has captured the mainstream, the marginalised and the nuances of everyday life in contemporary America. Opie’s first survey monograph, published by Phaidon, charts the artist’s career since the early 1980s, paired with images across her expansive and varied bodies of work. From LGBT communities to Los Angeles freeways and ice-fishing villages in Minnesota, the book offers a full view of Opie’s politically charged, often-autobiographical cultural visions. Through compelling essays and never-before-published works, this hotly-anticipated tome offers a window into the iconic, subversive and poignant world of a true maverick in visual storytelling. Catherine Opie with essays by Hilton Als, Douglas Fogle, Helen Molesworth and Elizabeth A. T. Smith and an interview by Charlotte Cotton is published by Phaidon on 27 May, £100.
Writer: Harriet Lloyd-Smith