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LensCulture New York 2024 Showcases Five Photographers Exploring Identity, Migration, and Queer Histories

exhibition · 2026-04-19

From April 25 to 28, LensCulture New York 2024 will showcase a group exhibition featuring five photographers who tackle various social issues. Kriss Munsya, the 2023 LensCulture Emerging Award Winner and a contender for the 2024 Aesthetica Art Prize, delves into themes of racism and colonialism in his work titled Genetic Bomb. Stephanie O’Connor, originally from Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, now residing in Berlin, explores concepts of memory and belonging in her piece Under the Weight of Flowers. Alisa Martynova, who has lived in Florence since 2015, focuses on migration in Nowhere Near, drawing attention to factors such as insecurity highlighted in a 2016 International Organization of Migrants report. Mackenzie Calle critiques the exclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in NASA's history through The Gay Space Agency. Lastly, Sarfo Emmanuel Annor, born in Ghana in 2002, captures the essence of African youth using smartphone photography.

Key facts

  • LensCulture New York 2024 runs from April 25 to 28, 2024.
  • Kriss Munsya was shortlisted for the 2024 Aesthetica Art Prize and won the 2023 LensCulture Emerging Award.
  • Stephanie O’Connor's series Under the Weight of Flowers references poet Etel Adnan and collaborator Frances Libeau.
  • Alisa Martynova's series Nowhere Near addresses migration in Italy, citing a 2016 International Organization of Migrants study.
  • Mackenzie Calle's The Gay Space Agency critiques the lack of openly LGBTQ+ astronauts in NASA history.
  • Sarfo Emmanuel Annor uses color as a language for emotions in his portraits of youth in Koforidua, Ghana.
  • The exhibition features photographers from Canada, Germany, Italy, United States, and Ghana.
  • The content was posted on April 22, 2024, on Aesthetica Magazine's website.

Entities

Artists

  • Kriss Munsya
  • Stephanie O’Connor
  • Mackenzie Calle
  • Alisa Martynova
  • Sarfo Emmanuel Annor
  • Etel Adnan
  • Frances Libeau

Institutions

  • LensCulture
  • Aesthetica Art Prize
  • International Organization of Migrants
  • NASA

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Kinshasa
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Belgium
  • Germany
  • Berlin
  • Tāmaki Makaurau
  • Aotearoa
  • New Zealand
  • Italy
  • Florence
  • Southern California
  • Brooklyn
  • Koforidua
  • Ghana

Sources