Description
Susan Meiselas (b. 1948) is a renowned American documentary photographer known for her empathetic and immersive storytelling. A member of Magnum Photos since 1976, Meiselas has documented subjects ranging from carnival strippers in New England to the Nicaraguan Revolution. Her work often focuses on marginalized communities, emphasizing collaboration and ethical engagement. Meiselas has received numerous accolades, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal and a MacArthur Fellowship, and continues to influence contemporary photojournalism through her leadership at the Magnum Foundation.
Between 1972 and 1975, Susan Meiselas documented the lives of women performing striptease acts at small-town carnivals across the northeastern United States. Her photographs capture both the onstage performances and the backstage realities, offering an intimate look into the dancers’ experiences. Meiselas’s approach combined visual imagery with audio interviews, providing a multifaceted perspective on the women’s lives and the socio-economic factors influencing their work. The project culminated in the 1976 publication of Carnival Strippers, which has since become a seminal work in documentary photography.
Published by Steidl in 2022, Carnival Strippers Revisited is a comprehensive two-volume edition that expands upon Meiselas’s original work. The first volume includes previously unpublished color photographs, contact sheets, and transcriptions of audio recordings, providing deeper insight into the lives of the performers. The second volume, titled Making Of, features additional color images and ephemera collected during the project’s development. Together, these volumes offer a nuanced exploration of gender, labor, and performance, reaffirming the enduring relevance of Meiselas’s work.
A profound exploration of performance and identity, Carnival Strippers Revisited cements Susan Meiselas’s legacy as a pioneering documentary photographer. I highly recommended this two volume set.
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