Marti Friedlander

Book excerpt: From Maori moko to Dame Whina Cooper and the 1975 Maori land march, from Rita Angus to Norman Kirk, from Israel to Fiji, Marti Friedlander's photographs have captured the transformation of our lives over the last 50 years. While recording these places, events, and personalities of recent history, Friedlander has brought to her subjects a distinctive eye. Arriving in New Zealand as a Jewish immigrant from England in 1958, Marti Friedlander has always viewed life through the lens of an outsider. Whether photographing artists and writers or protests and street scenes, her photographs have drawn out key human dynamics - conflict, ambivalence, anger, warmth - by excelling in the photographer's art. This landmark book is the first sustained examination of Friedlander's life and work. It is illustrated with almost 200 of her photographs, many published for the first time. In a world awash with throwaway images, Marti Friedlander's photographs provide evidence for the value of really seeing, showing how sustained, inquiring and attentive looking by both photographer and viewers can lead us to new truths.