Inspiring Photobooks by Women Photographers
Since its founding in 1952, Aperture has elevated the voices of women and published important works—from landmark volumes Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph and Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, to debut monographs by today’s leading photographers Arielle Bobb-Willis, Myriam Boulos, Pao Houa Her, and more. Here, we look back at essential titles that chronicle the impact of women artists.
Carrie Mae Weems
Coreen Simpson: A Monograph
Coreen Simpson—photographer, writer, jeweler—has done it all. Working for publications such as Essence, Unique New York, and The Village Voice, from the late 1970s onward, Simpson covered New York’s art and fashion scenes, producing portraits of a wide range of Black artists, literary figures, and celebrities. Her iconic jewelry, the Black Cameo, has been worn by everyone from the model Iman to civil-rights leader Rosa Parks.
This long-awaited volume, Simpson’s first, features her celebrated B-Boys series—portraits of young people coming of age during the early years of hip-hop—as well as her experiments with collage and other formal interventions. An assortment of essays and an extended interview offer powerful reflections on Simpson’s unique blend of portraiture, sartorial politics, and her riveting story of an intrepid life in journalism, art, and fashion.
“The camera gave me license to see the world. When I have my camera with me, I’m not afraid of anybody. I always feel like I can just do anything if I have my camera with me.”
Coreen Simpson
Spotlighted Prints
Arielle Bobb-Willis
Exploring the Canon of Japanese Women Photographers
In this Aperture Conversation, Lesley A. Martin, Pauline Vermare, and Carrie Cushman discuss I’m So Happy You Are Here, a critical and celebratory counternarrative to what we know of Japanese photography today.