“Hamburger Eyes,” an influential San Francisco magazine of contemporary black-and-white street photography, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an exhibition in the San Francisco Public Library’s Jewitt Gallery on view through Sept. 24. Featuring images by nearly seven dozen photographers that capture a wide range of human experiences and locales, the exhibit traces the publication’s evolution from makeshift zine to global platform for photographers.
Divided into sections called “An Idea,” “Proof of Concept,” “Realization” and “Expansion” that briefly describe founder Ray Potes’ chronological journey as a photo publisher, the show’s 83 wall photographs—grouped informally, not by theme or time —are accompanied by table displays with dozens of zines and books.
In a nearly three-minute video, Potes, still the magazine’s primary editor and distributor, calls “Hamburger Eyes” photographers and photography diverse and unique, and the publication special due to its immense variety. He says of his work: “I want people to like it. I want them to save it. I want them to put it on their bookshelf.”
An intentionally raw and unpolished aesthetic gives “Hamburger Eyes” lasting appeal. In April, it released the 162-page book “Hamburger Eyes–The First 25 Years,” a collection of photos selected from more than 250 zines and books published in its history. Many of the book’s photos are in the exhibition’s large-format reproduced prints. Many depict the odd, humorous and unexpected moments that characterize much street photography.
A large image, “Owl, 16th and Mission,” taken by Potes in 2017, fills one wall. A person wearing an owl costume stands next to man sitting at a transit stop at night in San Francisco’s Mission District. It comes off as random; but also conveys loneliness in everyday life in a large city.
The show also includes other evocative images of San Francisco: Dave Glass’ 1988 “Wash & Dry, Mission District” pictures an old man in glasses sitting in a laundromat; David Root’s 2014 “19th & Bryant” shows a woman sitting on large, plant-covered structure in unlikely urban streetwear, a bikini; and Auston Marek’s untitled 2018 picture features a woman with a large, gangling palm waiting at the 24th Street Mission BART Station.
Andrea Lavezzaro’s undated “Tokyo Gambler,” showing a man with a vacant stare who’s seemingly waiting or postponing something, is mesmerizing and thought-provoking. It’s a contrast to Christian Kage’s 2014 “Irrational,” a subtly powerful picture of a statue behind what looks like a chain-link fence: it feels like the woman-statue could have been locked away for years.
“Hamburger Eyes” was established in 2001 in Southern California by Potes, his brother David, and his friend Stefan Simikich. Ray Potes’ interest in photography began when he was a youngster growing up in a large Filipino American family in San Diego, where cameras were frequently passed around to document everyday moments.
The first issue of “Hamburger Eyes” was a photocopied, stapled zine. The title came from a phrase Potes and his friends used to describe someone looking at another person with obvious attraction — having “hamburger eyes.” A turning point came when Potes printed his email address on the back, and photographers started sending in their own work.
After Potes moved to San Francisco in 2003, around the publication’s fourth issue, the project grew substantially. Photographers from around the world started submitting their work, expanding the magazine’s audience and subject matter. Even in its early years, while operating on a limited budget, the publication printed up to 1,500 copies on a Heidelberg press; its images have appeared in exhibitions in San Diego, New York and San Francisco.
Free posters are offered in conjunction with the show, as well as a street photography tour, walk and workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 20, beginning at the Main Library and concluding at the Harvey Milk Photo Center, 50 Scott St. Registration is required at harveymilkphotocenter.org.
“Hamburger Eyes: The First 25 Years” is on view through Sept. 24 in the Jewett Gallery, lower level, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco; visit sfpl.org/exhibits.
