Close Enough examines the positions of thirteen Magnum photographers, some unknown and some established, and the complex relationships they create both in the global context and in their local communities and in their interactions with individuals. Each of the participants talks very openly about their creative journey, which ranges from reflections on long-term, personal projects to ongoing works and new turning points in their image making. They allow extremely personal insights into their basic attitudes and create a constellation of different photographic perspectives in this exhibition.
In light of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Magnum agency (1947), Close Enough focuses on female photographers whose diverse viewpoints currently shape the photographic perspectives within Magnum. Together they push and question the boundaries of the photo collective. They deepen Magnum’s roots in the photographic search, while taking into account the human experience and the survival of our species. In unique ways, the participating photographers allow us to see how they gain access, where they orient themselves, and how they develop a deeper relationship with their subjects and their experiences. The challenge for photographers, put forward by Magnum co-founder Robert Capa, was to get “close enough.” With determination, urgency and ingenuity, each of the photographers represented here gives an account of their practice and invites us to actually get close enough.
– Charlotte Cotton, curator of the inaugural exhibition Close Enough at the International Center of Photography, New York, 2022
