American photographer Berenice Abbott once said, “Photography helps people to see.” It’s a deceptively simple yet incredibly incisive explanation of what photography can offer us. At their best, photographs are a doorway inviting us to pass through the threshold into another place and moment; fragments of information that can enlarge the scope of our understanding.

From the history of the underground cross-dressing and trans venue known as ‘Casa Susanna’ in Upstate New York to listless Hamberg youths caught in a period of extreme uncertainty, and fragmented screenshots of disrupted video calls from Gaza, we’ve gathered together a collection of photo books to look out for in the coming year, each of which “help us to see” in their unique ways.

SHINING LIGHTS: BLACK WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS IN 1980S-90S BRITAIN

“As Black women we have constantly endured other people telling our stories or explaining to us what we mean,” writes artist Sonia Boyce in the introduction of Shining Lights, the first anthology of Black women photographers in the UK. “Voice is an essential aspect of this book, because for decades we have not been heard.” The unprecedented and much-needed photobook features 57 photographers and honours their perspectives. By retrospectively celebrating the artistic contributions of Black women between the 1980s and 90s, the photo book centres on sisterhood and solidarity through a sociopolitical lens, weaving together the rich writings, activism and photographs of creatives like Maud Sulter, Ingrid Pollard, Sutapa Biswas and Claudette Holmes.

Shining Lights: Black Women Photographers in 1980s–‘90s Britain will be published by
MACK, and is available from January 2024.

GABRIEL MOSES

Known for his versatile portfolio, the self-taught British-Nigerian photographer Gabriel Moses will release his debut monograph with Prestel. The youngest photographer to have ever shot a Dazed cover, Moses has proved to be a rising star in the world of fashion, music, sport and film photography, often expressing his playful imagination through imagery reflecting London’s Black communities, 90s hip-hop, and collective ancestral memory. Edited by Katja Horvat, the volume of vibrant, atmospheric images highlights Moses’ unique approach to storytelling, alongside a series of essays by the photographer himself and interviews with grime artist Skepta and fashion photographer Nick Knight.

Read Dazed’s interview with the photographer here. Gabriel Moses will be published by Prestel, and is available from March 2024.

RICHARD BILLINGHAM, RAY’S A LAUGH

Known for his unflinching portraits, Richard Billingham’s Ray’s a Laugh will be published as a new edition by MACK. First released in 1996 to widespread acclaim, the intimate and raw photo book traced the day-to-day of the photographer’s family members, mostly his father Ray, mother Liz, and younger brother Jason, as they endured life against the backdrop of post-industrial poverty in the British Midlands. From his father’s alcoholism to his mother’s violent outbursts, the photobook centres on the claustrophobic, tobacco-filled interior of the family’s council flat. Receiving a Turner Prize nomination in 2001, Billingham’s unfiltered work has been affiliated with the ‘new British documentary’ movement. Accompanying the new edition, Ray’s a Laugh: A Reader edited by Liz Jobey will dissect the seminal work.

Richard Billingham: Ray’s a Laugh will be released by MACK in March and is available to pre-order now.

 SIAN DAVEY, THE GARDEN

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Siân Davey’s son suggested that they transform the neglected back garden into a place of beauty: “Why don’t we fill our back garden with wildflowers and bees, and the people we meet over the garden wall – we’ll invite them in to be photographed by you.” Agreeing to the idea, the photographer committed to creating the garden into the most beautiful space imaginable, building a sanctuary for dialogue and quiet contemplation. “And as the flowers opened, they called in the community; the mothers and daughters, grandparents, the lonely, the marginalised, teenagers, new lovers, the heartbroken and those that had concealed a lifetime of shame. They became enfolded into the story of the garden, creating and partaking in the story equally,” wrote Davey in an introduction to the project. The resulting body of work, The Garden, centres on humans reconnecting with nature (and each other) during a time of collective crisis. Davey’s body of work, in her own words “reminds us that nature cannot help but be beautiful” as it reveals her sitters reclining among wildflowers and humming bees.

Siân Davey’s The Garden is published by Trolley Books and will be released late March-early April, 2024.

VALENTIN GOPPEL, ZWISCHEN DEN JAHREN

At the age of 20, the Hanover-based photographer Valentin Goppel turned his camera to the experiences of his friends during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting body of work, Zwischen den Jahren [Between the Years], captures the aimless days between Christmas and the new year 2020, chronicling a strange moment of crisis looking towards an uncertain future, to the transition between adolescence and adulthood. Goppel’s vision recreates memories from that time, reflecting both collective and personal feelings of isolation. A sluggish time of stagnation and alienation, the pandemic brought to the surface, in his own words, “inner conflicts that had been well contained by the right environment and sufficient distraction”. Bringing this sense of unease to life, his vivid photographs speak to the feelings of discontented youth.

Valentin Goppel’s Zwischen den Jahren will be published by GOST Books.

CASA SUSANNA, THE STORY OF THE FIRST TRANS NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES, 1959-1968 

Casa Susanna – The Story of the First Trans Network in the United States, 1959-1968 edited by Isabelle Bonnet and Sophie Hackett is an astonishing publication assembling the preserved photo albums of Susanna Valenti – a trans woman who established a popular cross-dressing and trans venue known as ‘Casa Susanna’ in Upstate New York in the early 1960s. The text-heavy photo book includes an introduction by the theorist Susan Stryker, who writes about the significance of the Casa’s regulars: “I see them as not only expressing their positive desire for femininity but critiquing what it meant to be a man in their day and age.” A rich, photographic homage to the life of Susanna, who orchestrated a safe community for those shunned by society, the photobook brings to the surface a hidden LGBTQ+ history.

Casa Susanna – The Story of the First Trans Network in the United States, 1959-1968 will be
published by Thames & Hudson, and is available for pre-order.

DAIDO MORIYAMA – DAIDO MORIYAMA SHASHIN JIDAI 1981–1988

Daido Moriyama Shashin Jidai 1981–1988 by the acclaimed Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama, unveils his serialised 1982 photo essay Hikari to Kage (Light and Shadow) in the first issues of the magazine, Shashin Jidai – a moment announcing his return to photography after nearly a decade of experiencing a severe creative block. Considered the ‘godfather of Japanese street photography’, Moriyama’s Light and Shadow marked a clear distinction from his earlier style; he replaced his dark, moody images with high-contrast, gritty photographs, featuring dramatic arabesques of light and shadow on the rough and textured surfaces of industrial objects. Inside the book, essays are published alongside a selected portfolio of images and texts by Moriyama, to show how they once appeared in the original magazines.

Daido Moriyama Shashin Jidai 1981–1988 is published by Dashwood/Session Press.

TAYSIR BATNIJI, DISRUPTIONS

The Gaza-born artist Taysir Batniji’s latest photobook Disruptions presents fragmented screenshots taken between 24th April 2015 and 23rd June 2017, during several WhatsApp video conversations between his mother and family in Palestine. Known for his diverse practice that draws on his personal, subjective experience and its relation to history and current events, Batniji’s series of low-quality, pixelated imagery resonates with the present conflict, as we witness the media blackout in Palestine that obscures our full visual comprehension of the ongoing conflict. Disruptions calls for peace and “stands in support of the legitimate struggle for Palestinian freedom”. The profits of the photobook have been pledged to the NGO Medical Aid Palestine.

Disruptions will be published by Loose Joints in late January 2024.

WING SHYA, SOLACE

The esteemed photographer and filmmaker Wing Shya rose to prominence in the 1990s for his sensual, stills of classic Hong Kong cinema, most notably the works of ‘grandmaster’ director Wong Kar-wai. Accredited for his photographic vision that has “immortalised Hong Kong’s cool”, Shya’s new photobook Solace, reveals a more “personal and meditative” reflection upon his native city. Rooted in his fine art training, his photographic gaze crystallizes time and atmosphere, creating romanticised, dreamlike scenes in electric hues and neon colour. Published by Session Press, Solace chronicles the evolution of his oeuvre, in all its aesthetic subtleties and penchant for storytelling, with the aim of translating his rich practice to international audiences.

Wing Shya’s Solace is published by Session Press and will be available from late-March to early April, 2024.

EXTERIORS: ANNIE ERNAUX

As curator-in-residence at Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), Lou Stoppard dedicated her time to assembling Exteriors: Annie Ernaux and Photography, a group exhibition weaving together the works of global photographers who capture the imagery evoked in the literary works of the Nobel Prize-winning French author. Focusing on the writer’s 100-page book, Exteriors (Journal du Dehors), Stoppard’s selection of exhibited works reflect Ernaux’s astute and poetic observations on contemporary living. Speaking about her own, autobiographical writing, Ernaux remarked: “I have sought to describe reality as through the eyes of a photographer and to preserve the mystery and opacity of the lives I encountered”. From the photographs of Janina Neipce highlighting the oppressive, urban environment of the city, to Dolorès Marat’s saturated shots of women on the metro, the accompanying publication brings into sharp focus the dialogue between literature and photography.

Exteriors: Annie Ernaux and Photography is published by MACK and will be available in February, 2024.

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