Playground, photographs by James Mollison

Opening reception: Thursday, April 16, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Talk and book signing: Saturday, April 18, 2:00 p.m.

In conjunction with the publication of the book Playground, featuring photographs by James Mollison, Aperture Foundation presents an exhibition of the series. Mollison’s photo projects are defined by smart, original concepts applied to serious social and environmental themes. For Playground, Mollison photographed children at play in their school playgrounds, inspired by memories of his own childhood and interested in how we all learn to negotiate relationships and our place in the world through play.

Various scenes of laughter, tears, and games demonstrate the intense experiences which happen in the playground. For each picture, Mollison sets up his camera during school break time, making multiple frames and then composing each final photograph from several scenes, in which he finds revealing “play” narratives.

With photographs from rich and poor schools, numerous middle schools, and some high schools, in countries including Argentina, Bhutan, Bolivia, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., Mollison also provides access for readers of all ages to issues of global diversity and inequality.

The photographs will be available through Aperture Foundation. Sales proceeds support the Foundation’s public and book-publishing programs. For more information, contact prints@aperture.org.