Winogrand, “the all time champion of street photography” captured telling moments in real life. Wall, and others from the next generation, mostly use actors and props to create staged images. What accounts for this shift? Even though society is awash with personal data the writer thinks it is about privacy: society no longer tolerates the “impugnity” of the street photographer.
A seemingly quotidian piece about contemporary artists who are coming to prominence. Behind the diverse individual stories are recurring themes: use of the internet – and Instagram in particular – to build a profile; growing international interest; and a positive view of their own cultures. A background piece on the Kenyan photojournalist Brian Otieno is here.
Wolf was an acclaimed photojournalist but earned most praise for his own projects on city life. Tokyo Compression showed uncomfortably crowded commuter trains. Architecture of Density displayed the immensity of Hong Kong high rise apartments. For him, these images showed urban ingenuity: “his work defied categorization … his main muse was Hong Kong”. Images are here.