Jason Langer
BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1967 in Tucson, Arizona, photographer Jason Langer makes work underpinned by Buddhist philosophy. Graduating with a BA in Photography from the University of Oregon in 1989, his first major project, Shadow, explored existential ideas relating to the fragility of the human body. In the 1990s he made Secret City, a series of night photographs of distant, anonymous men in New York, whose faces were darkened or obscured to represent egolessness.
In 2007 Langer started a decade-long project titled Figures, featuring studies of strangers inspired by Buddhist and Jungian teachings on masculine and feminine principles; in the same year he began photographing couples making love, exploring Buddhist aspects of the mind in union. This work was exhibited as The Diamond and the Lotus in 2012. Langer has published four books to date - Secret City (2006, Nazraeli Press), Possession (2013, Nazraeli Press), a mid-career retrospective Twenty Years (Radius Books, 2015) and Berlin (2022, Kerber Verlag).
Langer’s work has been exhibited by institutions such as Benrubi Gallery (NYC), Kopeikin Gallery (Los Angeles), and ClampArt, (NYC) and supported by grants and awards from the Ford Family Foundation, The Oregon Arts Commission, PX3 Prix de la Photographie, Paris, the Joy of Giving Something Foundation, The Wood Institute, Madrid Foto, and the Palm Beach Photographic Centre’s Fotofusion Rising Star Award. His images are held in the permanent collections of Yale University Art Gallery, Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgets University, Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, and International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, among others, and are represented by CLAMP (NYC), Galerie Esther Woerdehoff (Paris), and Gilman Contemporary (Idaho).
Langer taught photography for the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, for more than a decade, and currently teaches for Santa Fe Workshops, Medium San Diego and is a faculty member of Photo Phlo. He lives in Portland, Oregon and is currently working on two projects – Stumptown Portraits, and Samsara: the Wheel of Life and Transcendence, which reflects the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, and rebirth following his father’s passing in 2019.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Photographer 1990 - Present
Photo-educator and author for Academy of Art University, 1998–2010
Private assistance, printer and photo-retoucher for: Michael Kenna, Ruth Bernhard, Arthur Tress, James Fee, Hansel Meith, among others 1990-2004
Received BA from University of Oregon, 1985-1989
Lived in Ashland, OR 1977-1985
Lived on Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, Israel 1973-1977
Born: United States, Tucson, AZ 1967
PRINTS AVAILABLE FROM
CLAMP, New York, NY
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID
ONE AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland, OR - Berlin, Spring, 2025
Holocaust Museum Houston, Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis - July. 13 - September 10, 2023
CLAMP, New York, NY - Berlin: Friends & Lovers - May 7 - June 30, 2023
Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, Vancouver BC - Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis, January 6 - February 17, 2023
Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Kennesaw, GA - Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis, August 25 - November 15, 2022
ClampArt, New York, NY/ Arsty - Figures, July 29 - September 11, 2021
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Possession, March 5-29, 2014
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR, Les Deux Magots - "Urbanism," May 15-June 30, 2013
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID - Retrospective, November 1 - December 20, 2012
Brick Wall Gallery, Spokane, WA - The Diamond and The Lotus, April 5 – March 14, 2012
Wessel O'Connor, Lambertville, NJ – Male Figure Studies, March 31 – May 20, 2012
Brucie Collections, Kiev, UA - Nightbook, January 2 – March 14, 2012
Packard Reath Gallery , Lewes, DE - After Hours, July 7 – August 19, 2012
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR - New Work, January, 2012
SFO Museum, San Francisco, CA – Berlin, September 1- November 30, 2011
Joseph Bellows Gallery, La Jolla, CA - Female Figures, May 6 - June 6, 2011
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR - New Work, April 7-April 30, 2011
Aplanat, Hamburg, DE - Secret City, April 16-May 29, 2010
Galerie Hiltawsky, Berlin, DE - Secret City, January 14-March 6, 2010
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - The Female Nude, December 2009- January 30, 2010
Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, UK - Secret City, November 20 – January 20 2009
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Secret City, April 2 – April 26, 2008
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY - Secret City, July 12 – September 15, 2007
Palm Beach Photographic Center, Delray Beach, FL - Secret City: A Ten-Year Retrospective of Photographs January 6 – February 18, 2006
Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, CA - Secret City, July 6 - August 7, 1999
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Head-On Photo Festival, Sydney Australia - Michael and Kam, 2022 - November 8 - December 1, 2024
Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Denver, CO. - Lost & Found: An Analog Forever Magazine Exhibition. October 11 - November 23, 2024.
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris - Ritz, Parc Monceau, Paris - February 15 - March 31, 2024
CEPA Gallery, Buffalo NY - The Power of Resilience and Hope - Photography and the Holocaust Then and Now, January - March, 2024
Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA - 8x10 Fundraising Exhibition, September 16 – October 7, 2022
Texas Photographic Society: TPS 30 Russell Hill Rogers Lecture Hall and Gallery at the UTSA Southwest Campus, August 16 through September 24, 2022
Photo London, Images from “Secret City” and “Possession”, Somerset House, May 12-15, 2022, Galerie Esther Woerdehoff
Texas Photographic Society: TPS 30 Center for Contemporary Arts in Abilene, Texas, on January 13-August, 2022
Museum Der Stadt Bensheim, Bensheim Germany - “Women Are Still Beautiful, Second Flirts and Other Street Photographs from the Freddy Langer Collection” November 7 - February 7, 2021
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR - Esprit Urbain, October 28, 2021
Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA - 8x10 Fundraising Exhibition, September 16 – October 7, 2021
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID - It Was All A Dream, August 18 – September 30, 2021
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum ID - The Secret Society, September 2, 2016
Los Angeles Center of Photography, Los Angeles, CA - LACP Faculty Exhibition, May 15-29, 2015
Art Gallery La Musa de Adeje, Tenerife, SP – Secret City, November – December, 2015
Fotonoviembre XIII Bienal Internacional de Fotografia de Tenerife, SP – Secret City, November – December, 2015
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR - Drive In, October 18, 2014
Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana, SI - Drive In, July 17 – July 26, 2014
Binding Image, Tetterode, NL - Second Edition 2014, February 8-9, 2014
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Shine, January 2- February 21, 2014
Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, - Classic Photographs, January 18 & 19, 2014
International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, St. Louis, MO - Decisive Moments, February 7 - April 27, 2014
Wessell + O’Connor Lambertville, NJ - Photo LA, April 26 – 28, 2013
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris, FR - Paris Photo, January 2 – February 28, 2013
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Selections Four: A Collection of Photographs, May 2 - June 1, 2013
Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, Madrid, Spain - Madrid Photo, June 6 - July 22, 2012
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Gun: A Collection of Photographs, February 29 - March 31, 2012
Helms Daylight Studio, Culver City, CA - Classic Photographs of Los Angeles, January 14 - 15, 2012
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR - Selections Two: Recently Acquired Paintings and Photographs, August 3 - 27, 2011
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID - Smoke and Mirrors: The Magic of Photography, December 20 – February 4, 2010
Gilman Contemporary, Ketchum, ID - Introduction, July 1 – July 31, 2010
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY - Globetrotting, September 17th - November 28th, 2009
Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, Portland, OR, Faces: Vintage and Contemporary Photographic Portraits, August 5-29, 2009
Photographer's Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - Invitation - Spring Show, July 16-August 27, 2009
Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, UK - Open House, December 2008
Peer Gallery, New York, NY - Degrees of Separation, July 12 – September 8, 2007
Galerie Hiltawsky, Berlin, DE - Homage to Irving Penn, June 19th – August 4, 2007
Photographer's Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - Invitation - Spring Show, April, 2007
Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, CA - Re-examining the Male and Female Nude, October 2 – November 30, 2003
Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, CA - Selections from the Gallery Collection, September 5 – October 26, 2002
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY - Night Life, March 1 – April 15, 2001
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, NY - Let's Have Lunch, May 31 – July 13, 2001
Shapiro Gallery, San Francisco, CA - Selections from the Gallery, October 3 - October 28, 2000
Paul Kopeikin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - Introductions, July 10 – August 29, 1998
Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA - New Works in Photography, December 12 – January 15, 1993
Rayko Photo, San Francisco, CA - Annual, September 13 – November 13, 1990
SELECTED PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Gap/Banana Republic
Heineken International
Hirsch Library, MFAH Maquette Collection
Le Musée de la Photographie
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
W.M. Hunt permanent collection
International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, St. Louis
Sir Mick Jagger permanent collection
Sir Elton John permanent collection
JGS Foundation
Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Yale University Art Gallery
Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University
MONOGRAPHS
Berlin, Published by Kerber Verlag, 2022
Twenty Years, Published by Radius Books, 2015
Possession Published by Nazraeli Press, 2013
Secret City, Published by Nazraeli Press, 2006
PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS IN PRINT
Constable and Robinson
PROFILED
Forward Jewish Independent, To Be a Jew in Berlin, May 2023
Collector Daily June 8, 2023 Berlin, Friends and Lovers at CLAMP
Photographie Magazine, Berlin Schatten des Vergangenen, July/ August 2023
B+W Magazine Berlin, 2023
Jerusalem Post, The Clash of Eras, December, 2022
Art Daily, Berlin, December, 2022
L'Oeil de la Photographie, Berlin, November, 2022
Analog Forever Magazine, Berlin, Winter, 2022
All About Photo, Berlin, September, 2022
Black & White Magazine, Berlin, April, 2022
Progresso Fotografico Magazine, Italy, Workshops, 2021
Lenscratch, Jason Langer: Twenty Years, 2021
Physique Pictorial 58, Liminal Jason Langer, Autumn 2021
Catalyst Interviews, Jason Langer, September 2020
Black + White Magazine - American Connection, Erika, September 2020
New York Times, Finding the Noir Without Looking, January, 2016
L'Oeil de la Photographie, "Twenty Years," September, 2015
Photo-eye Reviews, Proverbs by Gregori Maiofis, July 2015
Slate "These Dark, Mysterious Photos of London will Keep You Up at Night," July, 2015
Photo District News Picks of the Month, Twenty Years, June 2015
Lenscratch, Twenty Years, June, 2015
Resource Twenty Years, June, 2015
iPhoto Central, Twenty Years, 2015
American Photography's Pro Photo Daily Twenty Years, February, 2015
Amateur Photographer, Twenty Years, 2015
Le Monde de la Photo, Twenty Years, July, 2015
A Photo Editor, Jason Langer Interview, February, 2014
Black and White Magazine "American Connection," October, 2013
Lensa Magazine, Possession, December, 2013
B & W Magazine "Ten Spotlight Winners," December, 2013
Fraction Magazine, Possession, 2013
Oregonian, Portland, OR A World Transformed by Dark of Night, November 2013
Blake Andrews, Eugene, OR, Q and A with Jason Langer, December, 2012
Cape Gazette, Lewes, DE, City Lights, July 4, 2012
Digital Photographer, Ukraine, 2012
Portland Tribune, Portland, OR, 10 Questions for Jason Langer, 2010
Art Limited, London, 2008
Kult, Skrivnostno mesto, Romania, 2007
Picture Magazine, Books, January/ February, 2007
American Photo, Spotlight On Jason Langer, October 2, 2006
American Photo, Thanks for the Memories, Summer, 2006
Double Exposure, Photos to Inspire: Jason Langer, March, 2007
Bomb, Jason Langer, Summer 2006
Vanity Fair, Fanfare, August 2006
B&W Magazine, Spotlight, February, 2002
Popular Photography, Shadow Man, June 2000
American Photo, The Art of America, 1997
Photo Metro, Editorial: Jason Langer, August, 1995
Photo Metro, Editorial: Jason Langer, 1994
Magical Blend, Jason Langer Photographs, August, 1993
REVIEWS
Photobook Journal, March 2023
Atlanta Jewish Times, Berlin:A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis, September, 2022
A Photo Editor, Erika, 2021
Photo-eye Reviews, Twenty Years, August 2015
Oregonian "Noir-Like Images Capture Danger and Romance at Night," 2013
Photo District News Possession - "Picks of the Month" June, 2013
PhotoIcon, Secret City: Langer & Doisneau, January, 2009
Acuphoto, Secret City: Langer & Doisneau, January, 2009
Don't Panic, Secret City: Langer & Doisneau, January, 2009
Sloane Square, December Briefing, December 2008
The New York Sun, Hidden In Plain Sight, August 30, 2007
The New Yorker, Karine Laval/ Jason Langer, Leisure, August 27, 2007
American Photo, Photo Books to Write Home About, 2007
Artweek, Jason Langer at Shapiro Gallery, September 1999
RECORDED INTERVIEWS
The Candid Frame Podcast, August, 2023
Right Eye Dominant Podcast, Berlin, 2023
Got Punctum Podcast, Berlin, July, 2022
SE Center for Photography, Artist Talk: Jason Langer, 2021
United States of Photography, 2021 with Grant Scott
Biblioscapes Podcast with Euan Ross, 2021
Los Angeles Center of Photography, Conversations with Contemporary Photographers, 2021
United States of Photography, 2021 with Grant Scott
Everyday Photography with Michael Rubin, 2019
Thoughts On Photography with Paul Giguere, 2009
PHILANTHROPY
Center for Photographic Art Fundraising Auction, 2022
Center for Photographic Art Fundraising Auction, 2021
Houston Center for Photography Fundraising Auction, 2021
Center for Photographic Art Fundraising Auction, 2020
Phoenix Art Museum INFOCUS Photobid, 2016
Radius Books Auction, Langer Oddities, 2015
Focus On Youth, 2010
Breast Friends, April, 2010
Focus on AIDS 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Bomb, 26th Anniversary Auction, 2007
Center for Photographic Art Benefit Auction, 2004
Friends Without A Border, 2003
Eyewitness I, Graduate School of Journalism, 2003
Carousel of Hope, Children's Diabetes Foundation, 2002
PS Arts, Photography Auction, 2001
SF Camerawork, Annual Photography Auction, 1990 - 2001
Out Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, 1997
The Vision Gallery, San Francisco, 1993-1994
Eye Gallery, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Annual Benefit Auction
Festival At the Lake, Oakland, CA, 1990
AWARDS AND GRANTS
The Ford Family Foundation, 2022
The JGS Foundation
Oregon Arts Commission, 2022
PX3 Prix de la Photographie, Paris, Book Award, Silver Prize Berlin, 2022
The Wood Institute Grant, 2012
Top Prize, Madrid Foto 2012
Fotofusion Rising Star Award, Palm Beach Photographic Centre 2006
PUBLIC LECTURES
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater, Holocaust Museum Houston, Houston Texas, Berlin, July 12, 2023
In Conversation with Thomas Schestag, Passages Bookshop, Portland, OR June 11, 2023
Taubman Endowed Symposia, UCSB, Berlin, April 16, 2023
Ashe Emeth Memorial Temple, New Brunswick, NJ, February 1, 2023
Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, Vancouver BC, January 26, 2023
Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Kennesaw State University, November 9, 2022
Center for Photographic Art, August, 2022
Portland Art Museum, October 16, 2013
SF Camerawork, April 21, 1999
TEACHING AND AUTHORING
The Red Purse by Jacque Rupp. Afterward, Daylight Books, 2023
Proverbs by Gregori Maofis, Photo-eye Blog, July, 2015
Academy of Art University, 1998-2010
Fine Art Portraiture, Landscape As Fine Art, Visualization, Fine Art Project 1, Fine Art Project 2, Architecture As Landscape, Contemporary Fine art Practices, Fundamentals of Photography, Digital Photography, People Illustration, Digital Photography for Artists, Editorial Photography
WORKSHOPS
The CORE, Photo Phlo Online Weekly, Ongoing
Exploring the Secrets of the Night, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, NM October, 2024
Exploring the Secrets of the Night, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe, NM June, 2023
Photographing Intimacy, with Cheryle St. Onge, Medium Photo San Diego, April, 2023
Mastering Low Light and Night Photography with Lynn Saville, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, July 6, 2022
Our Inner Monologue, Los Angeles Center of Photography, Los Angeles, October, 2021
Finding Your Photographic Voice, Medium Photo, San Diego, March, 2021
The Photographic Journey; Refining Your Vision, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe, NM September, 2020
Exploring the Secrets of the Night, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe, NM May, 2020
The Photographic Obsession, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe, NM March, 2017
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops "Shots In the Dark," Spring 2014
The Fine Art Nude, Newspace Center for Photography, Portland, OR April, 2010
ENDORSEMENTS
Crane, Museo Silver Rag, Featured Photographer, June 2008
CURATING AND JUDGING
Analog Forever Magazine Call for Entries, The Psychology of Night, August, 2020
Roving Reviewer, Photolucida, Portland, OR, 2019
Roving Reviewer, Photolucida, Portland, OR, 2017
2014 ASMP PDX
Portland Photographers Forum, Members' Portfolio Review, September 2008
Friends of Photography, Members' Portfolio Review, June 2001
Advertising Photographers of America, Something Personal, September 12, 2000