"...thinking behind the photograph could come from fashion, it could come from science, journalism and it’s just this very broad endeavor, that everybody in the world participates in..." Steven Kasher
In our second exclusive video interview for AIPAD and The Photography Show we sat down with Steven Kasher, Founder and Director of Steven Kasher Gallery and member of AIPAD to talk about the photography's origins, primary types of photography collectors and the one trait that unites most AIPAD dealers. Lots of unique insights, facts, humor, and, as always beautiful images provided so graciously by the many wonderful AIPAD members. So, our thanks to everyone who sent us photographs on such a tight schedule! You can find a complete listing of images at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!
Video interview transcript:
Max Kozloff, Francesca Woodman, 1981. C-print, Image courtesy Steven Kasher Gallery
Steven Kasher: I find photography so interesting because it’s a bastard. It’s a bastard medium. It has one foot in the technical apparatus of photography: recording of light in this mechanical, chemical process, and then it has its other foot in so many other places. It could be in the art world. The thinking behind the photograph could come from fashion, it could come from science, journalism and it’s just this very broad endeavor, that everybody in the world participates in.

Gallery Exhibitions as Educational Tools
One of the things we do as photography dealers is educate the public. The primary means we do that is through exhibitions. So exhibitions are this incredible resource. Where else do you get something for free, that has been organized with so much care, and time, and understanding, and presented in a beautiful way, in a beautiful space?
Customer, Client, Collector, Curator
AIPAD 2016, The Photography Show. Image © Kristina Nazarevskaia

So, who are the people who buy photographs from us? I sort of categorize them as 4 'C’s'. There is, first of all, a Customer – someone who comes in, buys something once…he may want to have a picture to hang in the living room… Then there is a Client - The client is someone who is a repeat customer, who comes back, who enjoys our gallery, who enjoys several of our artists, who finds it comfortable in any particular gallery. The third is the Collector. The collector is somebody who is deeply engaged in understanding the medium, in understanding, maybe a particular artist, a particular photographer, who is amassing a story, a narrative, about a subject through the subjects they collect. And then the fourth 'C' is the Curators. We often times work with museums. Museums are some of our best and most important clients and they have their own stories to tell.
AIPAD Dealers
Massimo Vitali, #4874 Tropea Shadow, Calabria, 2015 © Massimo Vitali. Courtesy the artist and Benrubi Gallery

So, one of the things I like to do, and I think all of the AIPAD dealers would agree with me, we like to listen. We don’t only like to talk, we like to talk too, but we like to listen. We need to hear, from our clients, whether they are new collectors, or very experienced collectors, whom we’ve gotten to know, or curators we know, we need to know what they are interested in. It’s a big part of our job to find out what you’re interested in, what kind of photograph do you want? We will point you in different directions. I mean, all of us have these vast inventories in our galleries and we basically, want to expose all of it to everyone, but what we have to do is listen to find out what particular things you’re interested in, what artists, and even within the artists, what aspect of their work? Their beginning work, their portrait work… so it’s really a wonderful dialogue we’re trying to have all the time, and I would say, the most important part of that dialogue is the listening part."

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