The Continuing Story of Life on Earth: 25 Years of Hamburger Eyes

Founded in 2001 by Ray Potes in collaboration with his brother, David, and friend, Stefan Simikich, Hamburger Eyes has blazed a trail in documentary photo publishing and created a style that is simultaneously raw and profound. With distinct black-and-white photos that capture vignettes of everyday life, Hamburger Eyes encompasses the pendulum swing of human emotion, showcasing moments ranging from urban distress to childlike wonder.

To date, Hamburger Eyes has produced over 200 titles of zines, magazines and books alongside countless exhibitions, commissions and collaborations. Most recently, Ray published Hamburger Eyes - The First 25 Years, celebrating thae magazine’s 25th anniversary, which coincides with this exhibition.

83 photographers are represented in the exhibition: Ricky Adam, Mathieu Van Assche, Holly Bailey, Tamas Bernath, Martina Borsche, Valerie Bower, Bryan Bowie, Bill Burke, Zack Canepari, Rafael Cardenas, Sandy Carson, David Catalano, Yu Chang, Stevie Dacanay, Ryan Dan, Todd R. Darling, Cosimo Fanciullacci, Ryan Florig, Guido Gazzilli, Brandon Getty, Dave Glass, Zane Grant, Nikki Greene, Michelle Groskopf, Michael Hernandez, Sal Hernandez, Alex Herzog, John Oliver Hodges, Troy Holden, Kingsley Ifill, Nick Jones, Casey Jones, Manu Jougla, Christian Kage, Kappy, Thatcher Keats, Sandy Kim, John Brian King, Kristan Klimczak, Andrea Lavezzaro, Chris Leskovsek, Grant Lewandowski, Samuel Liebert, Auston Marek, Alex Martinez, Dennis McGrath, Luis Mendoza, Oscar Mendoza, Alessandro Mitola, Mark Murrmann, Sinna Nasseri, Kevin Novales, Joshua Olley, Lima Joao Pedro Lima, Joe Plonsker, Arthur Pollock, David Potes, Ray Potes, Ted Pushinsky, Reuben Radding, Christopher Radney, Adam Roberts, Jason Robert Roberts, David Root, Zach Rubin, Dan Ryan, Johnny Salas, Maximilian Schneller, Matthew Shaw, Stefan Simikich, Nick Slobin, Andrea Sonnenberg, Tom Souzer, Don Standing, Brian David Stevens, Jai Tanju, Pierre Terdjman, Joshua Terris, Elmo Tide, Vaclav Tvaruzka, Dave Uzzardi, Simon Vansteenwinckel, xiouping, and Tobin Yelland.

The Continuing Story of Life on Earth: 25 Years of Hamburger Eyes was made possible through funding by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and the contributions of Ray Potes and photographers whose names are featured throughout this gallery. The exhibition was co-curated by Ray Potes and Megan Merritt in collaboration with Julie Giles and the Library’s Exhibition Team.