It is a delight to select this series by Namsa Leuba, whose work I have followed ever since she came to my attention on graduating from ECAL. I immediately connected with her strong sense of art direction. She carefully builds her portraits with colours, codes and props that signify the visual trope of exoticism, fashion, and the Western gaze. This work so beautifully floats questions of identity politics, of ‘otherness’ and binary representation. For me, there is something sensitive, feminine and always challenging about her work.

Sasha Maslov’s series holds intrigue and charm. With their surprising contrast of colour in the grey urban environment and their bright individuality, the ladies Maslov photographs stand silent and proud in their formal uniforms. The photographer allows us to reflect on the individual characters and their houses. Why does the profession still exist? These women’s jobs have remained unchanged over the decades while the transport and infrastructure system around them has transformed. Their isolation seems to suggest that they are the last of their kind.

The way Maslov has set up the images feels almost intentionally theatrical, as if they are stage sets, and the interior shots deliberately draw us in. The subjects reside in a public space where people usually quickly pass by. With a blur of colour or drawn curtains, we can only wonder at what’s inside.

This photo conjures thoughts of other great photos that I love and have seemingly been placed by Keith Virgo in a blender to create something new. Obviously Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Seascapes, which I can (and have) looked at for hours at a time, but also something playful is happening here. The mystery of an image like Duane Michals’ ‘The Illuminated Man (1968)’ come to mind, and while it all feels perfectly composed (is he really ascending and levitating above a bird mid-flight?) it also has a vernacular or stock photo quality to it reminiscent of highly staged athletic photography or editorial work from the past. In the end it simply boils down to an incredibly crafted image that keeps my mind questioning what exactly is going on here, and why? What more can I ask of a photo but for sustained contemplation and constant re-engagement?!

Rory Doyle’s Delta Hill Riders documents daily life around African American cowboy culture. In portraits and reportage, we are given a warm, graceful glimpse into this underrepresented community, challenging popular notions around the myth of the American cowboy. I’m drawn to one image in particular of two young boys riding a horse at sunset, thinking about what’s in store for the next generation.

Chinese artist He Bo’s compelling work responds to global acts of terrorism and violent assaults. Unlike artists who work in the real world to photograph, He Bo gathers found images from press and social media sites to form otherworldly composite portraits of terrorists and their victims. The substrate portrait is formed with a multitude of micro images of the terrorists and the incident. The melded portrait is layered with tiny Morse Code close up images of the victims’ mouths, giving voice to those no longer alive. He Bo examines terrifying, deadly attacks, yet elements of the images lend unexpectedly captivating and humanistic meaning that compels the viewer to look longer and reflect on these acts of terror. He Bo extends the language of photography with thought-provoking works that critically comment on our place in a time of violence.

Each time I look at the images in River Notes by Riitta Päiväläinen, I feel compelled to pause and look more carefully, and to reflect on the intricate intertwining of all life forms on the planet. It’s a simple idea brought to life with quiet elegance and finesse.

Päiväläinen takes us to isolated areas in wild nature, empty of signs of humanity except for these organic-looking ribbons of delicate fabric looping through the branches of trees and reflecting in the surfaces of moving water, implying interconnections without beginning or end.

For me, these well-imagined scenes induce a sense of wonder, and remind me of the effortless flow of nature. Her materials also suggest the idea of bandages to form connections, to heal, to recognize interdependencies — reminders of the fragile balance that is at risk in the very real climate crisis happening now, affecting everything at once in every part of the Earth.

If I had to paint a landscape in which a soul is searching for a connection to a world mirroring the unknown, La Profondeur des Roches could be the answer. The works by Guillaume Amat heighten my curiosity and encourage me to look more closely and to take a detour out of the usual narratives I come across. There are layers of visual trickery in each image, and each seems to be hiding a clue. This is emphasized by an incidental performative presence of the photographer, which adds a personal, human element to the otherwise barren landscapes. Overall, the work is refreshing and reflects a diligent well thought out process in translating ideas into images.

By capturing urban trees with a multiple exposure on one negative, Frank Machalowski transforms the common object into a monument, standing isolated in a concrete desert. Through the technique, the clear and known structure of the tree gets distorted, even seems to vibrate. The tree - almost captured like a drawing on paper - seems to be fragile and vulnerable, but at the same time appears as a monument of resistance against a high urbanization level. It is a work that convinces in both form and content.