New Blood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, MARCH 28TH, 2015 – Milk Gallery is pleased to announce MAGNUM PHOTOS: NEW
BLOOD, on view from April 13th through May 8th, 2016.
This exhibition celebrates the work of Magnum Photos’ six new nominees: Matt Black (b. 1970, USA),
Carolyn Drake (b. 1971, USA), Sohrab Hura (b. 1983, India), Lorenzo Meloni (b. 1983, Italy), Max
Pinckers (b. 1988, Belgium), and Newsha Tavakolian (b. 1981, Iran). These remarkable photographers
have worked across the globe, from California’s Central Valley to the streets of Tehran, documenting
stories with journalistic diligence and exceptional artistic eyes.
Membership of Magnum Photos is both a rare privilege and a phenomenal accomplishment; applicants
undergo numerous rounds of scrutiny and years of exceptional portfolio development to join its esteemed
ranks, shared by the likes of Elliott Erwitt, Susan Meiselas, Thomas Hoepker, and Steve McCurry, to
name a few.
Since the agency’s inception 69 years ago, Magnum has never before admitted so many photographers
in one year. In addition to marking a great personal achievement of each respective artist, the inclusion of
these talented photographers to the prestigious ranks of Magnum’s legendary photographers makes a
profound statement in the agency’s vision. As current Magnum president Martin Parr exclaimed, the
intake of these six gifted photographers “indicates the great faith we have in our future and our desire to
find the best new talent that can contribute to the growth of Magnum.”
With 46 framed pieces that will be on display and for sale, the exhibition will highlight the unique point-ofview
each new associate member brings to Magnum. Matt Black is an American documentary
photographer whose work focuses on issues of poverty, migration, and the environment and has won the
World Press Photo Award for Daily Life and been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature
Photography. Fulbright and Guggenheim fellow Carolyn Drake explores the ways that history and reality
are purposefully shaped and revised over time through her documentary photography projects, which
include the series “Two Rivers” and “Wild Pigeon.” The second Indian photographer to join Magnum,
Sohrab Hura’s photography ranges from intensely personal narratives of his mother’s struggle with
schizophrenia to the series “The Song of Sparrows in a Hundred Days of Summer,” which documents life
in a secluded village in central India. Dedicated to long-term projects regarding the aftermath of the fall of
Gaddafi in Libya and the conflict in Syria, Lorenzo
Meloni currently focuses in on the political balances of
the Middle East and the consequences of its conflicts on the population. With his several documentary
photo-series in countries such as Thailand, India, Japan and Kenya, Max Pinckers combines extensive
research and diligent technical preparation that makes use of theatrical lighting, stage directions, and
extras with improvisation to obtain unexpected and poetic documentary images. Newsha Tavakolian’s
work ranges from bold reportage of political events to sensitive portraits and evocative series on subjects
such as the insecurity of middle-class youth, female Kurdish fighters or the impact of sanctions on
individual lives.
These diverse artists have unquestionably earned the title “best new talent,” each bringing a wide range
of experience and skill to Magnum’s list of photographers and will continue Magnum’s legacy of
consistently setting the precedent in producing excellent documentary work while creating fine art.
About Milk Gallery
Milk Gallery is a contemporary gallery and cultural space specializing in photography, publishing,
curatorial services, and archival management for collections and estates. The gallery presents projects
and retrospectives in portraiture, reportage, moving images and installations from legendary
photographers such as Burt Glinn, Thomas Hoepker and Billy Name, and contemporary photographers
including Danny Clinch, Diego Uchitel and Hunter Barnes. Milk Gallery celebrates the past while
looking towards the future with a sharpened artistic vision and sense of authorship.
About Magnum
Magnum Photos is the world’s preeminent photographic cooperative founded in 1947 by Henri Cartier-
Bresson, Robert Capa, Maria Eisner, David Seymoour, George Rodger, and William and Rita Vandivert.
It is considered the most renowned collective of documentary photographers.
For additional information, or to request an interview please contact: Song Chong, Director, Milk Gallery
at [email protected] or 212-645-2797