Interview with Suzanne Révy
Kris Graves is a dynamic and entrepreneurial artist whose work addresses social and cultural problems and aims to elevate the representation of people of color in the fine art canon. His landscapes and portraits amplify the stories of those in the margins, and emphasize the importance of memory. As a photographer, gallerist and publisher, he has fostered dialog between emerging and established artists with a new cohort of collectors. He served this year as juror for the Photographic Resource Center’s annual “Exposure” exhibition which is on view at the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery at Worcester State University through August 20th, 2021. This offered us an opportunity to learn about the various roles he inhabits, and he kindly answered a few questions on his work and passion for photography.
Photographer, publisher, curator and artist Kris Graves. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from? And where and what did you study? Or any other background information that is relevant to the work you do today.
My name is Kris Graves, I am from the borough of Queens in New York City. I’ve always been interested in art, and that interest runs in my family. During high school, I realized that I wanted to try to become an artist, choosing photography because it seemed like the only art form that I could make a living at. I graduated from SUNY Purchase College in 2004 with a degree in Visual Arts. No grad degree as of yet.
“American Monuments” by Kris Graves, courtesy of the artist.
From the “American Monuments” portfolio by Kris Graves Photography, courtesy of the artist.
How did you become interested in photography and in publishing photography books? Was there a particular inspiration or experience that led you into it? How do you describe what you do? Is there a particular activity from which you derive the most joy and satisfaction?
As soon as I held a camera, I never put it down. My earliest influences were Gordon Parks and W. Euguene Smith; I’m sure they felt the same as I. After graduation, I wanted to keep my artists friends together and started a gallery website to keep everyone involved and making work. I ran that for some years until it morphed into renting out temporary spaces in NYC to exhibit our group. A few years later, my cousin and I decided to open a gallery in Brooklyn. We were able to rent inexpensively just after the market crashed in late 2008. After a few years, I converted that idea into publishing because I wanted to make art affordable for a larger portion of the public. I thought it would be easier to sell $30 books than $1000 prints. Plus, more people would be able to collect art. We still aim to keep our prices more affordable than almost everyone else.
I think about art all the time and place little differentiation between making, publishing, viewing, or talking about art.
(Featured Image) Peaceful protests at the Robert E. Lee Circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia at night by Kris Graves, 2020 from the series American Monuments courtesy of the artist.
You have run galleries, published books and are a photographer yourself, how does each role inform the others?
Before becoming a full-time freelance photographer, I worked as a photographer for the Guggenheim Museum for over a decade. During that time, I started taking on side jobs, a gallery, and making books. I think they all speak to each other. Having access to modern and contemporary art in New York City has been huge for my development. While each role is different, the base is staying true to people you work with, listening, thinking, and working on collaborations that benefit everyone involved, plus the public.
“Remember the South: Frank Frances” courtesy of the artist and Kris Graves Projects, NYC.
From the book “Remember the South: Frank Frances” published by Kris Graves Projects, NYC
What do you regard as your biggest mistake as a publisher, and what did you learn from it?
The amount of mistakes is uncountable at this point, there have been so many. We have been lucky enough to be able to work past most of those physical book mistakes because we make such high-quality items that it would be hard for a viewer to decipher the problems! No book is perfect. But we must move on….
I think it is important to work with people you trust. Meaning, you must make sure all participants are on the same page. All publications have to exist as a collaboration of sales, marketing, and finding opportunities.
“Revival” by Nydia Blis, published by Kris Graves Projects, courtesy of the artist and Kris Graves Projects, NYC.
From the book “Revival” by Nydia Blis, published by Kris Graves Projects, courtesy of the artist and Kris Graves Projects, NYC.
What advice would you give someone who aspires to have their photographs published? And what advice would you give to someone looking to publish photography books?
For an artist: What do you want from your photo book? Is the publisher someone you like? Do you think the publisher you want can actually sell your book/ have they sold similar? How many books do you want to exist? Do you want to get paid for book sales? Is your work good enough for a book? Would you do the work to sell your book even without a publisher?
I would urge all art makers to do in-depth research on the publishers you are interested in. See if your work fits into their history. You should get book quotes from printers around the world, that’s free to do. I used to go to art book stores, looking at the colophon page of each book I liked to see where they were produced.
For a publisher: Only work with artists that want to work with you. I find it is much easier to work with people who reached out to me; not vice versa. The effort those artists put into getting their work out is more tangible. Raise money on your own website. Kickstarter takes a large percentage and they don’t often publicize photography books. Only decide how many books you will produce after you raise funds. Small books are cheap. Learn the difference between off-set and digital off-set books.
For example: 150 copies of a 4-color digital offset, 8 x 10″ vertical, 64-page, softcover book can cost $12-15 per copy for a total of $2250. If you sell 50 books at $30, you now have $1500. If you make a print edition of 10 for $100 and sell 8, you now have $800 + $1500 = $2300. 60 sales pays for 150 copies, the remaining copies are profit.
This is a quick and dirty example, but a nice book can be had for more or less than this price point.
What current trends in photography do you find most inspiring? To what do you attribute interest in photography books?
Books are the only way I see people affording artwork. They can also hold exponential value and can be entered into institutional collections much more easily than your print. Prints are too expensive for almost all of us, plus books give you the option to see a full project. Books will always win against prints. The two trends I love are independent bookmaking and non-fungible tokens or nft (above); the latter is becoming a nice hedge against social media platforms owning your imagery.
Thank you! To learn more about Kris Graves:
https://www.krisgravesprojects.com
“Solace” by various artists edited and published by Kris Graves Projects, NYC.
From the book “Solace” by various artists edited and published by Kris Graves Projects, NYC.
To read our review of EXPOSURE 2021, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/exposure-2021-25th-annual-prc-juried-exhibition-in-worcester-ma/
For hours and information about the PRC’s Exposure show, go to: https://www.prcboston.org/exposure-2021/
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