Walk into any bookshop and make your way to the ‘photography’ section, and you’re likely to be greeted by shelves stacked with retrospectives of great artists. Countless books have documented the pioneering images that have come to define modern photography – from Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Man Jumping the Puddle (1932) to Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother (1936). This is what makes Class of 2024 so fresh and unique, rather than looking back, this book roots itself firmly in the future. Published to mark the 75th anniversary of Thames & Hudson, the collection celebrates 10 emerging photographers from Savannah College of Art and Design. Sophy Thompson, CEO at the publishing house said: “Throughout our storied history, Thames & Hudson has remained committed to championing the voices and visions of young and emerging artists in parallel with the publishing of leading writers and artists from around the world. It is in that spirit that we have collaborated with SCAD to publish this book.”
The collection begins by outlining the key question that will face the next generation of photographers: what does the future of image-making look like? We all now keep in our pockets the ability to take high-quality digital photographs and share them with our friends and family, or with millions of people, in an instant. The development of artificial intelligence has brought into question the validity of what we see, from altering a picture to generating one entirely from scratch. We are forced to grapple with the question of whether the democratisation of image creation in the digital age has made it less valuable. Yet, in showcasing these 10 artists, Thames & Hudson reassures any doubts about the way the art form will progress in the 21st century. Daniel S. Palmer, SCAD Museum of Art Chief Curator said: “the photographs in this book are a vote of confidence for the next generation of artists and a testament to their determination to continue to grow towards the light.” These artists represent the new frontier of photography and will inevitably be key voices in the industry. Each one demonstrates an innovative ability to cut through the noise to create images that authentically reflect the changing world we live in.
The works vary from romantic nostalgia to fractured and disorientating, and defiantly gritty, but all are united by a clear focus on the human experience in our current moment. Ying Chen’s work is heavily influenced by 20thcentury artists and their expressive use of photomontage. Her uncanny series Family (2018) plays with ideas of memory. The artist takes her own family photographs, creating collages that see her and her siblings duplicate, stutter and shift on the page. By distorting the images and placing the figures on a fluorescent backdrop, Chen evokes a feeling of a distant memory or dream, creating an uneasy tension between recollection and reality. The fragmented photographs may also be influenced by Chen’s upbringing. Born in Japan to Chinese parents, before moving to China and then America throughout her childhood, Chen said “I miss my birthplace and I also miss where I grew up, but my memory is very vague. Perhaps the similarity between by three homes is that they will all gradually be forgotten.” In this, she pushes against the idea of photographs as a way of documenting a moment forever and guarding it against time and alters it to reflect how memories shift and fade. Davis Clem’s Blackberries also deals with memory, acting as a visual conversation with his grandfather who passed away in 2022. The touching images document the life he left behind in Corvallis, Oregon and the absence of his grandfather is striking, instead focusing on the physical reminders we leave behind.
Xavier Thompson’s landscape photography deals with the human experience. Lone Ranger (2022) began as an examination of the uninhabited, and the sense of freedom that this can create. The images have a distinct sense of disquiet about them, there are no people, no movement, no sign of life. Yet, they are also intimate, reminding us that we are more than the events our physical forms experience. Thompson explained, “I spent most of this series driving in solitude, from dusk until dawn, from location to location, like an undetected spectator under the cloak of night…Using light from the moon or nearby streetlights to play with shadows and create patterns became critical to capturing the striking atmosphere of these overlooked landmarks.” Inspired by artists like Todd Hido and shot in his home state of Georgia, his work strikes an impressive balance between his own identity and a wider social history. As with each remarkable artist in this collection, Thompson uses his work to say something about the mark we leave on the world, and how our actions and experiences shape the people and places around us.
Class of 2024 is available from Thames & Hudson: thamesandhudson.com
Image Credits:
Ying Chen, There Is an Ocean in My Glass series, 2021.
Ayden – Chair Profile, Will Foerster, 2023.
Rebirth, Xavier Thompson, Lone Ranger series, 2022.
Delilah, Kourtney Iman King, New Slate II series, 2022.
