Join us at Printed Matter for the launch of Peter Hujar Behind the Camera and in the Darkroom. This collection of heartfelt anecdotes invites the reader first hand into artist Gary Schneider’s journeys in image making with his friend and mentor, the beloved photographer Peter Hujar.

Critic Vince Aletti joins Gary Schneider in conversation about the book, and about the transformative social and artistic scene that they shared with artists such as Hujar, David Wojnarowicz, Paul Thek, Nan Goldin, and others.

Drawing from a selection of Hujar’s pictures, Schneider takes each image as a point of departure to share his expertise as Hujar’s posthumous printer. Through a mix of stories and images, Schneider creates a rich anecdotal tapestry that serves both as a historical testimony and a portrait of his relationship with Hujar, all set against the backdrop of downtown New York City in the nascent years of the AIDS crisis. Peter Hujar Behind the Camera and in the Darkroom is an indelible portrait of a relationship delineated by photography, desire, and gratitude.

Gary Schneider is an artist and photographic printer. He prints the work of David Wojnarowicz and his mentor Peter Hujar. Schneider is co-curating an exhibition with John Douglas Millar of Hujar’s photographs, “Eyes Open in the Dark” opening at the end of January 2025 at Raven Row, London, UK.

Vince Aletti is a critic and curator based in New York. He was the art editor and photography critic of the Village Voice before leaving in 2005 to write photography exhibition reviews for the New Yorker, where he remains a regular contributor. His most recent book, The Drawer, was named Aperture/Paris Photo’s 2023 Photobook of the Year.

Peter Hujar images © 2024 The Peter Hujar Archive / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Peter Hujar contact sheets © 2024 The Peter Hujar Archive / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York courtesy The Morgan Library.

Peter Hujar portrait courtesy Gary Schneider.