NAVIGATING the arts scene in the wake of Covid-19 has called for a drastic re-evaluation of practices and the status-quo. In the spirit of adaptation and redefining, Magnum’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) closed this weekend – after four days of online events and internal discussion about the year ahead.
Image ©Hannah Price
Magnum Photos is a co-operative owned by its members, representing some of the world’s most renowned photographers and artists. Photographers first join the organisation as nominees before progressing to become associates and then finally gaining admission to the Magnum collective as full life-long members.
Image ©Sabiha Cimen
This year’s AGM took place online, uniting its community of photographers, estates and international staff in addition to conducting votes on potential new members, associates and nominees. Further discussions were held on the new public events program which includes the presentation of Magnum Flow, a new digital project launched during lockdown to present contemporary work in near real-time, and a conversation on the colonial archive between Mark Sealy, Mikhael Subotzky and Sim Chi Yin.
Image ©Khalik Allah
Caitlin Hughes, Magnum’s new CEO, who joined the organisation to further strengthen the fundamentals of the business as well as to advance Magnum’s reputation as a pioneer at the forefront of digital innovation – says “I am thrilled to welcome our new nominees who come from a range of different backgrounds and add to the plurality of voices inside Magnum.”
Initiatives such as Magnum are proving to be forerunners of inclusivity and progress for digital innovation and set a precedent for those in other fields to follow.
by Rosie Fitter