Ping Pong Conversations: Alec Soth with Francesco Zanot

by Alec Soth (Photographs), Francesco Zanot

Storytelling and the use of color and black and white, staged and candid approaches, and personal and political issues are just a few of the many arguments that the American photographer Alec Soth discusses with critic Francesco Zanot, resulting in a combination of words and images that constitutes both a complex examination of Alec Soth's work and a manual on that reading of photography itself. Alec Soth is one of the most prominent artist of this time. He became a full member of Magnum in 2008. He is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photography critic and curator Francesco Zanot has been working for exhibitions and books with some of the most renowned Italian and international photographers.

Genres: Photography

180 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2013

About the author

Alec Soth (b. 1969) is a photographer born and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has published over thirty books including Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004), NIAGARA (2006), Broken Manual (2010), Songbook (2015), I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating (2019), A Pound of Pictures (2022), and Advice for Young Artists (2024).

Soth has had over fifty solo exhibitions including survey shows organized by Jeu de Paume in Paris (2008), the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (2010), Media Space in London (2015), and the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (2024). Soth has been the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2013). In 2008, Soth created Little Brown Mushroom, a multi-media enterprise focused on visual storytelling. Soth is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, Loock Galerie in Berlin, and is a member of Magnum Photos.

Reviews

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of hate artists talking about their work. I admire Alec Soth's work, though, and I like the conversational format--how frank and self-critical he is. It was sweet to revisit so many of these images with a new context.

“I think I am better when I am away from home, but not too far. Away from the distractions, yes, but close enough to read the minutiae and details of an environment I understand.” (Alec Soth, in Ping-Pong Conversations, 33)


“FZ: So you didn’t know him before taking his portrait and didn’t spend much time getting acquainted with him.

AS: No, and I would rather not. Because by not knowing him I can project whatever I want onto the picture. I know it’s ethically problematic, because I am using this real person for my project. This is something that does bother me.” (37)

[Edoardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alec Soth racconta le storie dietro ai suoi lavori, commenta le proprie fotografie e ci propone la sua poetica dell'immagine. Una lunga intervista interessantissima che parte dagli inizi e ripercorre tutti i libri, i viaggi e i progetti del fotografo americano. Un ottimo espediente per entrare nella mente di un grande artista visuale. Consigliato.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Non sapevo come fare per innescare la poesia che collega immagini diverse»

«La fotografia è un dispositivo di separazione, stabilisce una distanza tra l’autore e il suo soggetto»

«È per questo che trovo frustrante la fotografia. A chi importa ormai di realizzare una grande immagine? Non è più una cosa molto interessante.»

[l0renz.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bella intervista ad uno dei più grandi fotografi degli ultimi anni.
Perle sparse da tenersi in mente.