On Thursday, September 17, photographer Jess T. Dugan will be in conversation with Charlotte Cotton and Kristen Lubben for the book launch of Love Pictures.
My work explores the complexities of personhood, relationships, desire, love, and family.... It is informed by my identity as a queer, nonbinary person and is motivated by an existential need to understand myself and connect with others. Central themes are living authentically and the immense power of seeing—and being seen by—others.
— Jess T. Dugan
Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Doors open at 6:00 PM
59 East 4th St, 7W | New York, NY 10003
Jess T. Dugan
Love Pictures, a collaboration between photographer Jess T. Dugan and writer Charlotte Cotton, is centered around a series of conversations between the two focusing on core themes that inform Dugan’s practice, including gender and identity, family and politics, writing and language, the book as object, and the dynamics of the exhibition space.
These initial dialogues then prompted subsequent conversations with others in Dugan’s and Cotton’s respective communities: friends, colleagues, mentors, and subjects of Dugan’s work—including Dawoud Bey, Kelli Connell, and Dorothy Moss, among others. Transcriptions of these intimate and in-depth exchanges are woven with the first comprehensive survey of Dugan’s work in book form.
Love Pictures is available to order from Radius Books.
About the presenters
Jess T. Dugan is an artist whose work explores identity and the complexities of the human condition. While their practice is centered around photography, it also includes writing, video, sound, drawing, and installation. Their work is regularly exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of over seventy museums.
Charlotte Cotton is a curator and writer who explores photography and visual culture. She is the author of key books that chart photographic practices in this century, including Photography is Magic (2015) and The Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004).
Kristen Lubben is the Executive Director of the Magnum Foundation. She is a writer, curator, and editor whose work explores the intersections of photography, art, and politics. Prior to joining the Magnum Foundation in 2016, she was a curator at the International Center of Photography for seventeen years. She is also the author and editor of numerous publications, including Magnum Contact Sheets (Thames & Hudson, 2011).
Magnum Foundation is in an elevator building and has a restroom that is wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral. For access requests or questions, please contact events@magnumfoundation.org.
Magnum Foundation events are made possible by the Henry Nias Foundation and our Circle of Friends.
