© Jaime Permuth, 2025
Another blustery day in New York.
My students and I sought refuge and inspiration at the Metropolitan Museum. But before heading out, we spent some time studying and discussing the works of Elliott Erwitt, Matthew Pillsbury and Mitchell Hartman.
This is one of my favorite moments from our visit, at the Michelangelo exhibition, which by the way, is breathtaking -
Washington Heights, first impressions of 2018:
Quick hustling neighbors with bottles of wine under the arm, scampering to nearby apartments.
Open-doors at Rabbi Samson’s Yeshiva. On the curb, bundled up orthodox kids discuss the Talmud, their words condensing in the frigid air like thought bubbles.
Hungry families lining up for brunch at the diner on 181st, the only one open today. A hand-lettered sign offers Greek yogurt with a choice of granola or fresh fruit.
A half-read paperback, still sitting in the pocket of my jacket, an American Airlines boarding pass marking the page.
An improvised cozy of hard-packed snow propping up an empty beer bottle on the hood of a red Honda Accord.
A coarse mural depicting a row of buildings on the side of a blind alley.
I admire the equanimity of dogs; they care nothing for New Year’s resolutions.
A life in photography brings with it as many hardships as blessings. I imagine the takeaway changes from one photographer to the next. For myself, photography has the power to unsee the ordinary and make it new. And by photography I don’t mean the images per se, I mean the whole crazy set up of venturing into unknown lands and embarking on new journeys; waking up in strange beds in far away places; inhabiting other people’s lives and rising to meet a new day in a city or landscape you’ve dreamt about for months - or years - previous to your arrival there.
These are but the smallest of footnotes in the story of my life and yet each of them had its particular charm and their memory still abides: biting into warm, slightly sweet, sesame encrusted bread on the still-dark streets of the Old City in Jerusalem; day-old tortillas, black beans and queso blanco washed down with coffee made by the lion-tamer’s wife when I traveled with the circus in Guatemala; a glass of cognac in lieu of breakfast on Boulevard Saint-Germain; a scalding hot pot of tea and an enormous Irish breakfast pulling into a small town in County Clare after a three hour, rainy-morning bike ride on an empty stomach; stopping to pluck apples from a tree with my father on our way up Volcán de Agua, Nikon cameras dangling from our shoulders; Korean breakfast as big as lunch or dinner and my first taste of kimchi chigae in Seoul; despairing of finding a coffee-shop in Madrid and finally settling for a bar with long legs of jamón ibérico displayed by the window and serving churros and hot chocolate to a handful of early-birds like myself; having Jianbing and beer before exploring the Temple of Heaven in Beijing; hanging onto a steaming cup of coffee during the coldest car ride and coldest winter in Maine; watching the waves explode over the Malecón in Havana and being drenched by their spray; sweet bread and thick muddy coffee in a ‘cafe de chinos’ after a white night in Mexico City; walking the back roads of Santa Cruz de Balanyá with a humble farmer, his cow and her calf and being offered a glass of warm, frothy milk when we arrived at our destination.
The list goes on and on, each the recollection of a new morning with a camera in hand. And on this day of gratitude I remember fondly the kindness of strangers, the many places and cultures which have broadened my horizons and taught me something about life and about myself and most of all about the beauty of our planet, which words can never encompass, and which we so often take for granted.
Benefit Fundraiser for Puerto Rico
I'm donating a print to El Museo del Barrio's fundraiser to help Puerto Rico recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.
There are many other beautiful works available. All of them are small and priced to sell. Get there early, go home with beautiful art and help people in need.
Today, Saturday, starting at 2:30PM.
I am thrilled to share the book dummy for my latest project The Street Becomes, which is ready just in time for this week's New York Art Book Fair. The book was designed in collaboration with the very talented team at Studio Lin. I'll be at the fair throughout the weekend. Drop me a line if you'd like to take a closer look at the project and I'll be happy to find a time to meet.
Also, twelve images from the project are currently on view at El Museo del Barrio as part of the exhibition "nasty women / bad hombres", which closes in November. And finally, I'm honored to have one of the images from the series declared a Winner in the 2017 edition of AI AP's Latin American Fotografia, showcasing the best projects done in or about Latin America during the past year.
Wishing you Shana Tova, a Happy Jewish New Year 5778!
Jaime
It gives me great pleasure to announce that an image from my latest series "The Street Becomes" is a winner in this year's edition of AI AP's Latin American Fotografia 6. This prestigious competition highlights the best photographic projects exploring the complex and multi-layered realities of Latin America.
Also, a selection of twelve images from the series is currently on view at El Museo del Barrio in New York City as part of the first Uptown Triennial organized by Columbia University, in an exhibition entitled "nasty women / bad hombres".
I have nothing but respect and admiration for Curator Rocío Aranda Alvarado and her talented staff at El Museo del Barrio who have gathered a remarkable group of artists in the exhibition "nasty women / bad hombres". It is a thoughtful and timely exhibition, which offers some deeply felt responses to a political/cultural moment fraught with anxiety.
Yesterday, as I moved through the galleries, I felt that each artist project amplified and extended the ones around it.
A case in point, Nari Ward's installation of a swing made from an automobile tire, but suspended from a noose and crusted with fragments of broken shoes is an inspired counterpart to my own work, which is installed directly adjacent to his. With its sense of rupture and transformation the sculpture moves from idyllic childhood pastime to personal trauma. As such, it overlaps with themes and concerns which are central to my work.
And so on, the exhibition flows beautifully from one artist to the next.
It came as no surprise to me that the exhibition made it to artnet's list of must-see Museum shows in New York City. And I am particularly gratified that one of my images from The Street Becomes illustrates the feature.
In the Summer of 2014, I spent two months in residence as a Smithsonian Artist Fellow. During my time in DC, I researched, gathered and secured permissions for all the source materials I required for creating a new book and exhibition project entitled The Street Becomes. The project is interested in the changing character of the urban street in times of war and peace.
The Street Becomes is entirely based on archival images by other photographers. One part of the images come from the private archives of local Washington DC photographers who documented the Latino Festival during the 70s and 80s. The second part comes from the US Marine Corps archives and documents the American military occupation of Central America and the Caribbean in the early 20th Century. My artistic intervention and repurposing of these source images suggests new meanings for the street and examines the kind of contests that are predicated on overtaking and controlling public spaces. The Street Becomes is a metaphorical construct whose extension maps the interrelation of war; displacement; immigration; assimilation and cultural resistance.
Twelve works from The Street Becomes are featured at El Museo del Barrio as part of an exhibition titled "nasty women / bad hombres", which opens June 13th at 7PM.
My latest project "The Street Becomes" gets its debut exhibition at El Museo del Barrio opening June 13th.
The project is a meditation on how the urban street is transformed in times of war and peace.
Twelve images from the series are featured in the exhibition "nasty women / bad hombres" curated by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado.
Would love to see you there!
Sometimes when I walk in Seoul, I feel like i'm suddenly inhabiting one of Hye-Ryoung Min's photographs. The landscape turns intimate and I feel a sense of belonging and recognition slowly permeating my entire being.
The first photograph was taken yesterday in Seoul. The second is from HRM's series "In-Between Double" (2009).
http://hyeryoungmin.com/in-between-double/
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Here's a short video of my remarks last night at CPW to introduce the audience to my YONKEROS exhibition;
It's a rainy day in Woodstock and still a couple hours before people come in for the Opening. The exhibition is impeccably hung.
Found some miniature Jack next door and the last of my good Cohibas from Havana in my jacket pocket. All's good in the world and I'm just watching it go by from CPW's porch.
This week I'm taking over The Center for Photography at Woodstock's Instagram feed @cpwwpc.
Follow along as I revisit my series YONKEROS, currently on view at CPW's galleries.
After a successful run at the New England School of Photography, my solo exhibition YONKEROS is now on view at the Center for Photography Woodstock. CPW is hosting a festive Artist Reception on Saturday, May 13th from 4PM to 6PM.
Please join us if you can!
More information here.
Coffee, bagels and a whole stack of beautiful vintage prints from Cuba in 1968. So good to catch up with Shawn Walker, one of Harlem's great photographers.
When I completed my studies at Hebrew University I decided to move to Tel Aviv for a year and make some money to help pay for an MFA at SVA in New York. Where Jerusalem was sublime, mystical and volatile, Tel Aviv was a laid back, open and fun-loving Mediterranean city.
Those days I worked three jobs: waiting on tables, translating and taking freelance photography gigs where I could find them. On a rare day off, I would grab a good book and find a table at one of the small sea-side cafes. I would order something simple and inexpensive, top things off with a sweet and aromatic Turkish coffee.
When we moved to Harlem a few years ago, we found Silvana's, a small Israeli cafe that reminds me so much of that casual Tel Aviv vibe. Easy to spend a Saturday afternoon here.
This week, SVA's Emma Drew wrote a blog post with some thoughts on our most recent trip to Cuba.
The exhibition "Confluencias" celebrating 10 years of Trasatlantica PhotoEspaña opened last night in São Paulo's SESC Vila Mariana. Proud to have images from my series YONKEROS included. Photos courtesy of my Guatemalan friend and colleague Luis Milian - whose work is also featured in the show.
The day after coming back to NYC from Havana, I got a text from Jason Eskenazi. Although these days he calls Istanbul home, I was not entirely surprised to hear from Jason, knowing he was in town to promote the release of The Americans List II, for which I had contributed a short essay.
The text simply said: You're Jewish right?
I replied that indeed I was of that most exotic variety, the Guatemalan Jew.
He replied: we are taking a group shot with Robert Frank and other New York Jewish photographers at 7 Bleeker Street.
An hour and a half later I was standing in a tight huddle with some distinguished colleagues and friends for that portrait. It was shot by John Trotter, who with his usual wit referred to himself as our Shabbos Goy. After the portrait Robert asked his wife, June Leaf, for a camera and took a photo for himself. Clearly, the moment meant something to him as well.
And then we all had a chance to meet the great master and exchange a few words with him. Robert is now 93 years old. I have admired his work since I was in my teens. To grasp his hand in mine, look into his eyes and have a moment together was was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'll treasure the memory of it for many years to come.
Later, over drinks at a neighborhood watering hole I asked Jason about the portrait. He said, a couple days earlier Frank had spoken to a few friends about how proud he was of his Jewish heritage. The portrait was a spontaneous response to that conversation. It was shot on Saturday March 11th, which happened to be the festival of Purim.
Elin Spring wrote a thoughtful and beautifully written review of my YONKEROS exhibition at the New England School of Photography.
