VIEWFINDING #40
Tod Papageorge / Tina Barney / Laura Pannack
Tod Papageorge: Studio 54
First published by STANLEY/BARKER in 2014, Studio 54 has been made available again to mark ten years of the British publisher. The photobook collects 66 of Tod Papageorge’s images from the infamous New York nightclub, all shot between 1978-80.
Studio 54 first opened its doors in April 1977 and then ran full tilt until February 1980 when the IRS forced its closure. In that short time the club’s name had become a byword for decadence, celebrity and excess. It was the hottest spot in town and notoriously hard to enter.
‘Unsurprisingly, given its reputation, it was difficult to get into: the imperturbable doormen who doled out access as if they were controlling passage into a fabulous kingdom made sure that it would be. Only the famous or socially connected could assume they’d find themselves shooed around the flock of hopeful celebrants milling on the street side of the velvet rope and guided through the door; otherwise, the thing most likely to help was to be beautiful. Once inside, though, everyone there seemed thrilled by the fact, no matter how they’d managed it, an excitement fed by the throbbing music and brilliantly designed interiors, which, on a party night, could suggest anything from Caliban’s cave to a harem.’ Tod Papageorge
In the words of publisher STANLEY/BARKER, ‘Papageorge's images transcend the obvious, transforming the glitter into something akin to poetry.’
Tod Papageorge: Studio 54 is available with a (very disco) gold cover here.
All images © Tod Papageorge, courtesy of STANLEY/BARKER
Tina Barney: Family Ties
Towards the end of the 1970s, Tina Barney began documenting the privileged upper echelons of New England society, a strata that her family had long been a part of (Barney herself attended Spence, the elite girls school in New York). Initially shooting family and friends with her 8 x 10 inch large format camera, Barney was soon analysing the social mores and rituals of the East Coast’s bourgeoisie.
The recently published Family Ties collects almost 100 photographs made over four decades and coincides with a career retrospective at Paris’s Jeu de Paume. A collaborative project between Atelier EXB and Aperture, the book features an essay by Quentin Bajac, who commissioned and directed the exhibition, and an interview with the artist by Sarah Meister, the executive director of Aperture.
‘I want every object as clear and precise as possible so that the viewer can really examine them and feel as if they are entering the room. I want every single thing to be seen, the beauty of it all: the textures, the fabrics, the colours, the china, the furniture, the architecture.’ Tina Barney
Tina Barney: Family Ties is available from Atelier EXB (French language edition) and Aperture (English language version). The exhibition at Jeu de Paume runs until 19th January.
All images © Tina Barney, courtesy Atelier EXB / Aperture
Laura Pannack: 2025 Calendar
It’s that time of year when shops and websites are again awash with calendars, but this one from Laura Pannack stands head and shoulders above the throng, appropriately so for a photographer most known for meticulous yet intimate portraiture.
Designed by Alice Chia and printed by Taylor Brothers, Bristol's oldest printing company, the calendar consists of twelve images drawn from Pannack’s 17-year strong archive, each one relating to the month it is paired with.
Available with a choice of four different colour covers (cream, forest, terracotta and ocean), it can be ordered directly from the artist’s site, or can be picked up from The Photographers’ Gallery this evening (13th December, 6-9pm), where Pannack will be launching it accompanied by mulled wine and mince pies. Ask nicely, and she might even sign for you.
All images © Laura Pannack
You can follow David Hill Gallery on Instagram here.
Download a PDF of Alice Mann’s Drummies series, currently showing at the David Hill Gallery, here.