photography by Ed Maximus New Jersey has a long history and tradition of being a welcoming state and embracing rich, diverse cultures. From Ellis Island as an immigration hub during the early half of the 20th century to almost 200 languages spoken across the contemporary state, New Jersey reflects a microcosm of international expression and artistic inclinations. Since 1966, the New Jersey State Council of the Arts has been a symbol and conduit of how the state takes the arts

Natcha Wongchanglaw is a conceptual photographer as well as an installation and performance artist who has exhibited in the United Kingdom, Mexico, and across the United States. Some of her notable exhibitions include Monad Gallery in New York, Leica Gallery in Boston, Museum of Gloucester in the UK, and Noise Box Gallery in Edwardsville, Illinois. Natcha’s awards include The Jeffrey S. Hammer, M.D. Memorial Scholarship, IPE Award from the The Royal Photographic Society, and

Sapphire (Shiyu) Zhang is an analogue digital artist and PhD student at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, studying art and design. She describes her works as emerging “through repeated adjustment, where intuition and control continuously reshape each other. In this way, the technical process is inseparable from the conceptual one: layering becomes a way to think through memory, emotion, and the unstable structure of the self”. The digital art of Sapphire Zhang are actu

Laidric Stevenson is a documentary analogue photographer who has exhibited in the United States, Japan, and Germany. Recent exhibitions include Ogawa Coffee Sakaimachi Nishiki in Kyoto, Decode Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, Studio 1608 in West Palm Beach, Florida, The Eclectika in Irving, Texas, The Blank Gallery in Tokyo, BBA Gallery in Berlin, Click! Photography Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis. Some Nights I Can’t Sleep is the signature s

An artifact typically acts as a memorial to a civilization and testament to a period of time. But what if the concept of an artifact were to be used as an ‘anti-memorial’ and to instill institutional criticism? Such notions are captured in the conceptual artworks of Luna Qiuwen Lyu, a jewelry designer and interactive installation artist. From sonic waves which traverse space and transmit the chatter of the 20th century recordings in an installation such as A Billion Solitary

Written by Joas Nebe. Valéry Belin (born 1964) experiments with the emotional and cognitive reactions images provoke within viewers, exploring photography and moving images as dominant narrative forces shaping contemporary perception. Photographs occupy public and private spaces ubiquitously; after more than 180 years of technical and cultural evolution, photographic and cinematic imagery follow entrenched narrative grammars established by Hollywood’s production machinery (ge

Damira Tagaeva is a theatrical photographer who has been published in international magazines such as L’attirance, Vigour, Beautica, Malvie. Milan Weekly, 6X Fashion France, 6X Fine Art, Artefo, and Figgi. She was also ranked as one of the top photographers at the 35Awards International competition in 2021. The theatrical photography of Damira Tagaeva can range from mysticism, witchcraft, horror, erotica, fashionable, or highly dramatic. What connects these photographs is a

Luna Qiuwen Lyu is a jewelry designer and interactive installation artist who has exhibited internationally with presentations in Munich Jewellery Week, London Design Festival, the Hunt Museum, and beyond . She has earned quite a few first prize recognitions including with the Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship & Design Awards and is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, widely considered to be the finest art school in the world. Ranging from conceptual jewelry to interactive instal

Yanqing Pan (Cindy) is an organic-matter-based installation artist who has exhibited across the United States as well as in Italy and China. Recent exhibitions include Cranbrook Art Museum, Forum Gallery, and Passageway Gallery in Bloomfields, Michigan, In/Out/Of in Detroit, and Ducal Chapel of Palazzo Farnese in Piacenza, Italy. She has conducted lectures at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit and DeSalle Auditorium in Bloomfield Hills. Her works are in the special c

Daniele Alberto Lombardi (L A D) is a conceptual still life photographer who has exhibited in the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. Recent exhibitions include The Holy Art Gallery in New York, Cambridge Photography Gallery in the UK, and Crush Collective in Rome. He describes his practice as “ characterised by a ‘storytelling-first’ philosophy, utilising photography, textiles, and mixed media to deconstruct cultural semiotics and the psychology of belonging and memori