On his journeys to Japan, Haiti or Cuba, documentary photographer Michael Magers explores the poetry of foreign elements in everyday life. ‘Independent Mysteries’ is his first monograph, which we would like to present you here on GoSee.
Photographs in which the documentary becomes poetry – that’s the trademark of Michael Magers. His outstanding eye for unusual moments has earned him an international reputation as a photographer, journalist, and artist. His photos appear in prominent publications including TIME, Vogue Italia or Huck magazine. While traveling around the world for his commissioned projects, the exceptional photographer does not put down his camera after the work day was finished. He explores the world around him, capturing crucial moments of solitude even amid the constellation of activity. These pictures not only celebrate the essence of everyday life, but also the magic of each moment. Each of his grainy black-and-white photographs, most of which are drawn from urban life in Japanover the past decade, bears a secret to be discovered and admired in this first illustrated book by the artist.
A recurring topic throughout his work are tattooed bodies. As part of his broad-based research into Japanese artisanship, Magers also documents this hidden part of Japanese art culture. Starting with nearly a decade’s worth of photographic works of art, each picture can be seen as a film still,with brief moments of human contact as context – depicting fleeting intimacy, loneliness, and vulnerability. Have a look at his performance for the New York release of ‘Independent Mysteries’ at FOTOGRAFISKA NEW YORK.
Michael Magers (*1976, Dallas, Texas) is a documentary photographer and journalist based in New York City. He is a frequent collaborator with the highly acclaimed team at Roads & Kingdoms and served as the lead photographer on their award-winning books, ‘Rice Noodle Fish’and ‘Grape Olive Pig’ (as well as contributing to the 3rd book in the series ‘Pasta Pane Vino’) published by Harper Collins/Anthony Bourdain. His images are exhibited both internationally and in the U.S. and have appeared in a wide range of digital and print publications including TIME, Smithsonian, Vogue Italia, British Journal of Photography, Huck, Outside, The California Sunday Magazine, CNN’s Explore Parts Unknown, New York Times – T Magazine (Instagram takeover), The Guardian.com, and The Washington Post.
Michael Magers ‘Independent Mysteries’, Editor Nadine Barth, text(s) by Daymé Arocena, Larry Fink, Matt Goulding, Michael Magers, Mitch Moxley, Matthew Shultz, illustrations by Japanese tattoo artist Horiren 1st, design by Bonnie Briant, English, 2019, 88 pages, 68 ills.
