© Alex Arzt

Photographer Alex Arzt‘s work “Human-Animal” explores the complex relationship between man and animal. Traveling across America, Arzt photographed people, animals, objects and the places that belong to them to show how both environments collide. Her pictures illustrate how these animals occupy the home as permanent fixtures, much like a framed picture or personal trinket. “To me, the indefinable difference between humans and animals is the mystery of animal perception that humans are only able to access through imagination and theory. When we see another living creature, we can never truly know how they perceive us or their environment,” Arzt says.

Work from the “Human-Animal” series is currently on display at the Caroline Collective’s “Gift of Gift of” exhibition in Houston and the Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. Artz  is part of the 2012 Review Santa Fe 100.

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Alex Arzt

© Titus Simoens

The fifth annual Summershow at Foto8 kicked off July 7, highlighting the work of 159 artists from around the globe. Dubbed the “greatest photography spectacle in London,” images hang in the “Salon de Photographie” and range in subject matter, exploring everything from newsworthy events, including the riots in London and the conflict in Libya, to personal moments in a photographer’s life, but share the common theme that they examine events that occurred over the past year. Aside from being included in the show, the photographers competed for two awards: The Best in Show award, which was given to photographer Titus Simoens (for the image above) and included a $3, 100 prize, and The Peoples Favorite award, which is voted on by the show’s attendees and announced on the final day. The event will run through August 18.

- Captions courtesy Foto 8.

Simoens image above is part of a series that focuses on a boarding school in Ostend, Belgium which undertakes children suffering from behavioral problems and unstable homes.

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All Photos © Lauren Silberman. Above: Kalan & Este at the Koala Bear House

“Over the past four years I have been spending a great deal of time in New Orleans, where I have begun to photograph details of the city as well as its people. Lush with plant life that is not native to the city, and rich with many non-native people that thrive there, New Orleans is, as geographer Peirce Lewis called it the ‘inevitable city on an impossible site.’  The wildlife that flourishes mirrors the human wildlife that flourishes. The photos are a collection of these metaphors – weeds push through the cement, vines crawl through fences, and friends’ and acquaintances’ characters shine through the dust and sweat that makes up the city.

“I see the city as magical hub of growth, hope, and resilience as reflected through its landscape and its people. Whether my subjects are native to the area or come from other places, they each contribute to the life and culture of New Orleans making it a vibrant place in which to live and create. I am constantly inspired by their strength and eccentricities, and each image is a gesture of admiration and an opportunity for me to celebrate their beauty.”

— Lauren Silberman

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