Dazed Features Top Photography Stories from the Past Month

In the wake of a particularly intense UK heatwave, Dazed magazine has compiled a retrospective of eight compelling photographic narratives that have captivated its audience over the past month. These selections span a diverse range of subjects, from explorations of cultural heritage and youth identity to profound examinations of womanhood and the complex landscape of pop stardom. Each featured project offers a unique lens through which to view contemporary society and artistic expression, providing a rich tapestry of visual storytelling.

The curated highlights include Marc Baptiste and Angel Oduko’s evocative tribute to the style and enduring glamour of Old Nollywood cinema, a significant cultural movement that shaped Nigerian filmmaking from the late 1990s onwards. Ryan O’Toole Collett’s insightful investigation into youth culture and identity in Mexico City offers a nuanced perspective on a nation grappling with significant social and political shifts. The retrospective also revisits Nancy Honey’s extensive career, a body of work that has consistently explored the multifaceted experiences of being a woman across decades. Additionally, the article delves into a conversation with photography duo Chus&Greg about their latest project, which poignantly captures the delicate transition between adolescence and adulthood.

Beyond these specific features, the selection showcases Kristina Rozhkova’s new photobook, a work described as a beautiful yet unsettling fever dream, reflecting her personal experiences of persecution and exile. The republication of the cult dyke zine, KUTT, by IDEA Books, is highlighted as a significant archival event, offering a rare glimpse into a vital aspect of LGBTQ+ history and culture. Petra Collins’ Star is examined for its exploration of the darker undercurrents of pop stardom, while Chad Moore’s Eyes and Skies is presented as a more life-affirming collection, celebrating the profound connections between the universe and the intimacy of human connection.

Chus&Greg: Documenting the Liminal Space of Youth

The photographic duo Chus&Greg have established a reputation for their sensitive and insightful documentation of youth culture, consistently focusing on the nuanced and often complex stages of personal development. Their work creates a vital platform for young individuals to express themselves and articulate experiences that, while often hyper-specific, offer broader insights into the universal conditions of growing up. Their latest book, Fast!, presents a compelling collection of portraits captured across a global spectrum, including London, Paris, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Madrid, and Tokyo.

This extensive project meticulously documents the fleeting period of life as adolescence gives way to adulthood. Chus&Greg describe this phase as "that moment right after teenagehood – when things are shifting, but nothing is fully defined yet." This liminal space, characterized by uncertainty and rapid transformation, is rendered with a distinct empathy, allowing viewers to connect with the shared anxieties and aspirations of young people navigating this critical juncture. The book serves as a visual archive of a universal experience, underscoring the photographers’ dedication to capturing the authentic voices and evolving identities of youth.

Kristina Rozhkova: Conjuring Fairytales in the Face of Adversity

Russian artist Kristina Rozhkova’s latest photobook, Unbewitched, offers a profound and deeply personal exploration of her experiences under criminal prosecution and subsequent exile. Having faced legal challenges for her artistic practice, Rozhkova’s work is imbued with the emotional residue of fear and resilience. In a recent interview with Dazed, she conveyed the pervasive sense of terror she endured, stating, "I was in a state of constant terror. I’d walk down the street expecting to be snatched up again."

Now living in exile, Rozhkova describes Unbewitched as an act of "conjuring a fairytale reality around yourself – constructing myths and fleeing from fear and pain into a dream." Her images are characterized by an uncanny fusion of fantasy and nightmare, blurring the lines between the animal and human worlds in what can be described as a folk horror reverie. Rozhkova’s artistic philosophy emphasizes the importance of discomfort in art, arguing that "society is obsessed with comfort and pleasure, but comfortable days are unremarkable." Instead, she actively seeks out images that reside between beauty and grotesquery, compelling viewers to confront what might initially repel them. "We are naturally drawn to the monstrous and the ‘dirty’," she explains. "Ugliness becomes desirable." This approach challenges conventional notions of aesthetic appeal, inviting a deeper engagement with the complexities of human emotion and perception.

Nancy Honey: A Decades-Long Exploration of Womanhood

Photographer Nancy Honey has dedicated her career to examining the intricacies of female experience, stating, "Right from the very beginning, I wanted to examine how it feels, to explain what it is to be a woman." A recent exhibition at Claire de Rouen, curated by the bookshop’s co-director Dominic Bell, brought together a diverse selection of Honey’s work spanning decades, offering a fresh perspective on her enduring exploration of womanhood. The exhibition revealed a portrait of womanhood that is at once playful, tender, and nuanced, providing viewers with a glimpse into Honey’s distinctive vision.

Her images are marked by a unique lightness of touch, celebrating moments of joy while also acknowledging hardship. There is a palpable sense of humor interwoven with the depiction of life’s challenges. "Even though I feel like I have a lot of joie de vivre, I still think I’m talking about serious things," Honey remarked. "Joy is serious." This sentiment underscores the depth and complexity of her photographic practice, which manages to convey profound truths with an accessible and engaging sensibility. Her work resonates with a broad audience by capturing the universal emotions and experiences that define the female journey.

KUTT: A Resurgence of a Cult Dyke Zine

The cult dyke zine KUTT, which circulated between 2002 and 2003, has been resurrected by IDEA Books in a significant archival republication. Despite its brief lifespan of only three issues, KUTT cultivated a devoted following that has only grown in the years since its cessation. The republication brings together these sought-after issues into a single, beautifully presented volume, offering a valuable historical document of queer culture from the early 2000s.

The zine’s pages are a vibrant testament to the era, featuring prominent figures such as actress Chloë Sevigny, writer and activist Eileen Myles, experimental filmmaker K8 Hardy, and musician Peaches. It also showcases photography by renowned artists including Ryan McGinley, Collier Schorr, Viviane Sassen, and Martien Mulder, among others. KUTT captured the burgeoning queer scene of the 2000s, and according to Eileen Myles, it served as "evidence of how cool the new generation of lesbians who were around at that time were." The zine’s resurgence highlights its enduring relevance and its importance as a touchstone for understanding the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation and community.

Ryan O’Toole Collett: Unpacking Perceptions in Mexico City

London-based photographer Ryan O’Toole Collett arrived in Mexico City during a politically charged period leading up to a general election. As he sought to understand the city and its complex socio-political landscape, Collett embarked on a personal journey of interrogating his own preconceptions about Mexican culture. His photographic project, A Caged Dog Barks the Fiercest, features 40 portraits of the city’s inhabitants, accompanied by their personal narratives presented in both Spanish and English.

Collett deliberately avoided making grand, all-encompassing statements about the city. Instead, his project focuses on a network of individuals whose lives and communities intersect, offering a more intimate and multifaceted view. The work explores "how people negotiate who they are within contemporary social, political and economic conditions." The resulting collection presents a constellation of people and narratives that aim to provide a diverse perspective on life for Mexico City’s youth culture, particularly within its creative spheres. The portraits encompass DJs, artists, designers, writers, students, performers, and club kids, reflecting the vibrant and overlapping creative scenes that define the city’s contemporary cultural fabric. This approach emphasizes the individual experiences and collective realities of the subjects, moving beyond an outsider’s singular perspective.

Angel Oduko and Marc Baptiste: A Nostalgic Homage to Old Nollywood

The collaborative project OMOGE, by photographer Marc Baptiste and creative director Angel Oduko, serves as a compelling ode to the vibrant style and enduring glamour of Old Nollywood films. The title itself, "Omoge," is an affectionate Yoruba term that signifies a beautiful and stylish woman. The project follows a group of Lagos-born, Brooklyn-based friends as they embark on a night out, capturing their energy and flair.

Oduko explained the casting process, stating, "The cast is made up of myself, friends, acquaintances, and mutuals who fit into the visual world I was building." She further described the exhilarating experience of being "in a group of beautiful, confident women who are immaculately dressed." The narrative of the night unfolds with a sense of spontaneous charm, as their striking appearances draw attention and admiration from passersby. The styling, overseen by Lola Amu and Oyinkan Akin, draws direct inspiration from the maximalist aesthetic and flamboyant spirit of classic Old Nollywood films such as Girls Cot (2006), Blood Sisters (2003), and End of the Wicked (1999). Oduko attributes the enduring appeal of these films to their "rawness and authenticity." She elaborates that these films told "pedestrian stories," focusing on "everyday people, everyday desires, and everyday betrayals, while still managing to be surreal and experimental." This blend of relatable narratives with imaginative presentation is what makes the project a powerful contemporary echo of a cherished cinematic legacy.

Petra Collins: Deconstructing Pop Stardom in Star

Petra Collins’ latest photo book, Star, offers a critical examination of pop celebrity and the phenomenon of fandom through the lens of two fictional musical acts: Ashley, a solo artist, and Siren8, a teen idol group. Drawing upon Collins’ extensive experience as a photographer and music video director within the pop music industry, the project reimagines the trajectory of fictional stars, exploring their rise, fall, and the subsequent aura of mystery that surrounds them.

The narrative is constructed from the perspectives of fans and stalkers, weaving together letters, conversations, and diary entries with images of performances and promotional shoots. The visual language of the book deliberately evokes the aesthetic of the early 2000s, characterized by glittery eyeshadow, camisoles, bows, glossy lips, and the nostalgic imagery of DVDs and corkboard collages. However, beneath this veneer of glamour lies a palpable undercurrent of darkness, revealed through unsettling imagery such as hospital wards, hands dripping with blood, tears, and the vacant expressions of a pharmaceutical haze. This juxtaposition highlights the often-unseen toll of fame and the psychological complexities of the entertainment industry, offering a nuanced and often disturbing portrayal of pop stardom.

Chad Moore: A Universe of Eyes and Skies

Chad Moore’s latest photobook, Eyes and Skies, lives up to its evocative title by presenting a dual focus on the intimate world of human eyes and the boundless expanse of the sky. The photographer, also known for his work on Olivia Rodrigo’s album cover, articulated the profound significance of the human gaze in his photography, stating, "There’s a kind of truth in people’s eyes in a photograph." Moore’s signature style, characterized by disarming, candid portraits of friends and New York’s youth culture, imbues his work with a life-affirming and wondrous quality.

Gazing at the world through Moore’s lens is described as a source of pleasure and joy. The book resonates with those who perceive an analogy between the vastness of the cosmos and the depth and potential held within a person’s eyes. The glittering, boundless nature of both the universe and the human eye is a central theme, suggesting a profound connection between the internal and external worlds. Eyes and Skies offers a contemplative and aesthetically rich experience, inviting viewers to explore these thematic parallels and find beauty in both the grand and the intimate. The collection serves as a testament to Moore’s ability to capture moments of raw emotion and profound observation, offering a unique perspective on the human condition and its place within the larger universe.