13 Must-See Favorites from 2013

Contemporary Photography 13 LensCulture Favorites from 2013: Echoes of Lofoten After World War II, families in small and remote fishing villages in Lofoten, Norway, were offered a lump sum from the government to leave their homes and relocate to more central places in a plan to modernize the nation. Photographer Hebe Robinson re-connects those hardy souls with their rugged outposts via heirloom snapshots and contemporary landscapes. Exodus Marcus Lyon is exploring the most significant migrations of the early 21st century, with large-format hyper-detailed images.   Karczeby: The Roots of Polish Life Find out what 'Karczeb' means in this wonderfully quirky book from Adam Panczuk.   Modern Dutch Surreal Photography Juul Kraijer's deceptively simple looking photos employ the Surrealist grammar of alienation to cast deep psychological hooks into viewers.   99 Variations "I brought a key (the camera), opened the door to the secret passage (the mirror), woke up my mythical archetypes, and lured them out into the world." - Youngho Kang   Arrivals and Departures Magnum photographer Jacob Aue Sobol shares 30 stunning images and discusses his working methods in this great exclusive video interview.   Saul Leiter: 1950-60s color and black-and-white The quiet but incredibly gifted photographer Saul Leiter passed away this year, so we look back with fondness at his amazing street photography.   Tractor Boys Young Swedish boys in their early teens have a ritual of gathering together in a large deserted field at night to drive souped up old cars at crazy speeds. A small masterpiece by Martin Bogren.   American Color These photographs capture color, light and an emotional vibration of American life from the 1970s to the present. Dennis Church compresses a lot of visual information into a flattened plane.   Natural Red Hair  Hanne Van Der Woude, combines her love of verdant Dutch landscapes with an almost obsessive fascination with natural red hair. The photos vibrate with intensity.   Evolution: In Action Patrick Gries captures the awe and beauty of nature in his photographs of more than 250 skeletons of the smallest to the largest vertebrate.   Photography, Collage, Gesture and Form Jeff Cowen relies on chance and physical interaction with many of his wonderful, unique photography-based compositions.   The Animals Italian photographer Giacomo Brunelli defines his work as animal-focused street photography. Critic Alison Nordström writes: "These pictures are timeless and uncanny, powerful in their ordinariness, and emotionally much bigger than their simple subjects."