CULTURE

Ryan McGinley, Who Made Polaroids Art, Picks the 5 Young Photographers to Revive the Instant Picture

by Fan Zhong

Between 1998 and 2003, the photographer Ryan McGinley made more than 10,000 Polaroid portraits of anyone—from Dash Snow to Dan Colen to Chloë Sevigny—who came by his East Village apartment. These reckless and raw pictures turned into overnight New York lore when McGinley got famous at the age of 25, when he became the youngest artist ever to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and before he went on to refine and translate his style to fashion photography, including in the pages of W. Now McGinley has partnered with Polaroid Originals, which just launched the OneStep 2, a successor to the famous Polaroid OneStep camera from 1977, to pick the five young photographers to revive the instant picture. Here, McGinley explains why he chose Hunter Abrams, Rochelle Brockington, Marcus Branch, Myles Loftin, and Sabrina Santiago to take these Polaroids, which he will be showing in a New York gallery next month.

1Hunter Abrams

Hunter Abrams.

“I love Hunter’s take on traditional party photographs. His circle of friends is very diverse and he captures these intimate moments in busy settings.”

2Rochelle Brockington

Rochelle Brockington

“I love that Rochelle’s subjects challenge body image and diversity. Her images also capture a dreaminess that resonates with me.”

3Marcus Branch

Marcus Branch

“Marcus is the only photographer not based in New York City. For that reason he has a slightly different outlook on his subjects and environment. He shoots a lot of images in nature which is a juxtaposition against the others’ photographs.”

4Myles Loftin

Myles Loftin

“The use of color in Myles’ images is astounding. He really creates these amazing color stories within his work.”

5Sabrina Santiago

Sabrina Santiago

“I also love Sabrina’s use of color; the way she matches her subjects with her backgrounds is really interesting to me.”