BOLDTYPE ISSUE #45: Artwork By

The cover image for this issue of Boldtype, "Eminõnü" (2004), is a photograph from American photojournalist Alex Webb's new book Istanbul: City of a Hundred Names, published by Aperture and distributed by D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. Now in his 30th year of shooting, the Magnum photographer documents the borders and the fringes of society. The photographs in this series, however, chronicle more than the boundaries of national bodies; they explore a city that connects Asia and Europe, literally fusing East and West.

Boldly framing a man's intimate gaze at a woman against the backdrop of a mosque, "Eminõnü" exemplifies the series' frequently employed technique of presenting multiple frames within one shot. On a metaphorical level, this convention underscores the diversity within Istanbul, but it also provides a window into the complexity of the personal dynamics within the teeming city. Like "Eminõnü," shots of figures in transit have a prominent place in the book, and suggest that the evolving face of the city may frequently be marked by the mobility of its citizens.

Born in San Francisco in 1952, Webb currently lives in Istanbul and shows internationally. His photography has been exhibited at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. His photographs have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Life, Geo, Stern, and National Geographic. Selected photographs from Istanbul: City of a Hundred Names are on view at New York's Sepia International through July 27.

- Paddy Johnson