WSJ | VLG Quoted: Photo Fair Features Cuban Artists, Plus One Training for Outer Space Some 89 galleries will show their wares at the annual AIPAD photography fair in New York City

By Ellen Gamerman

April 15, 2015

Michael Najjar recalled blasting into the stratosphere when the world went from all color to black and white. The photographer, flying on a Russian fighter jet at nearly twice the speed of sound, said he was on the verge of blacking out. As he clawed his way back to full consciousness and his vision returned to normal, he started shooting pictures.

The experience of Mr. Najjar, a 48-year-old Berlin native who said he intends to become the first artist to travel into space, is one of the many stories tucked inside the pictures at this year’s AIPAD Photography Show New York, which opens on Thursday at the Park Avenue Armory. The gathering of a record 89 galleries staged by the Association of International Photography Art Dealers will include work ranging from vintage images taken at the dawn of photography to pieces pushing the limits of technology. Trailer for the documentary film ‘mission:space’ which shows artist Michael Najjar’s training at various aerospace training centers.

The event opens at a tense moment for the art form as photographers fight to set their work apart in the Instagram era—some by creating high-tech pieces that blend real and fabricated images, others by returning to methods popular in the 1860s.

“I would say this is a somewhat anxious moment,” said New York dealer Rick Wester. “The digital revolution has affected photography as greatly as it has the recording industry. I think we’re all wondering where the medium is headed.”

The market is changing, too. Some collectors are challenging the prevailing wisdom of buying solely from limited editions. Instead, they are looking for other ways to define a contemporary photograph’s worth. Advertisement

“I’m seeing a lot of interest in unique photography,” said Los Angeles dealer Thomas Von Lintel, referring to pieces created one-by-one instead of multiple prints created from a single negative. Many collectors still like the idea of editions because it means they can own a work that is also in a museum collection, he said, but he added that questions about multiples can still arise: “The problem is, you never know how many are really out there.” 

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