He’s an American photographer through and through: Alec Soth. The visual language of Soth’s teacher Joel Sternfeld is unmistakably recognizable in his works, as is the influence of U.S. photographers Walker Evans, Robert Franks and Stephen Shore. For years, the member of New York agency Magnum Photos has shifted from concept to portrait to documentary photography. His only constant? His country. American faces, American still lifes, American postures, American landscapes and American things. They come together in Soth’s visual storytelling to form a canon of their own, offering a narrative grounded in the unique cultural context of the U.S. For years, the photographer has been tirelessly producing new series and catalogs, working as a teacher and founding the publishing company Little Brown Mushrooms.
His latest series, A Pound of Pictures, focuses on the circulation of photographs and pictorial memories. The exhibition title comes from a flea market stand which sold old photos by the pound. The stand’s vendor was one of many people Soth met during his most recent coast-to-coast trip through the States between 2018 and 2021. He worked with a large-format camera and a tripod – a technical decision belied by the documentary feel of the images. As part of Berlin Photo Week (02–09.09), the works are all on display at art collector Sven Herrman’s Reinbeckhallen in Oberschöneweide until 04.09.2022, supported by Soth’s own Loock gallery.
Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: ©Alec Soth / Magnum Photos. Courtesy of LOOCK Galerie
Reinbeckhallen, Reinbeckstr.11, 12459 Berlin–Oberschöneweide; map
A Pound of Pictures runs until 04.09.2022.
