Exclusive: Inside Alec Soth’s new photo book on young artists

Two decades after the release of his debut photo book Sleeping by the Mississippi in 2004, acclaimed photographer Alec Soth’s latest project documents his journey to actively recapture the curiosity and optimism that characterised his early artistic endeavours. Advice for Young Artists (published by MACK) follows Soth as he meets art students and, rather than imparting his wisdom, seeks to learn from them.

The Minneapolis-born photographer is best known for his haunting, evocative portraits of American life. From the much-loved photo book NIAGRA (2006) in which he immortalised the honeymooners and threadbare details of the world-famous wedding destination to A Pound of Pictures (2022), which brings together a fascinating, eclectic collection of shots from all walks of the photographer’s life, Soth’s books attest to his boundless curiosity.

Advice for Young Artists traces his journey as he spends time with students and attempts to make contact with the unadulterated creativity of his youth; a need to create art for its own sake, without the consciousness of a career and an audience or any external expectations encroaching on the process.

The culmination of visits to colleges across the US from 2022 to 2024, the book comprises formal portraits alongside fragments of quotes and glimpses of art student life.

“When I’m feeling jaded or worn down by the art world, I try to tap into that original feeling I had when I first discovered art as a teenager” – Alec Soth

“When I’m feeling jaded or worn down by the art world, I try to tap into that original feeling I had when I first discovered art as a teenager,” Soth tells Dazed. “With old age approaching, the desire for that wide-eyed youthful spirit is stronger than ever. So, for the last couple of years, I’ve invited myself to undergraduate art programs. Instead of doling out advice like a wise elder, my intention on these visits was to connect with the original impulse for making art.”

As a master storyteller, this particular tale is autobiographical, following Soth’s own attempts to reconnect with the enthusiasm and pure creativity of his younger self. It's also about reciprocity. Bringing together his portraits of art students absorbed and delighted by their practices, Soth is both the seeker and disseminator of knowledge. Advice for Young Artists is thus both manifesto and methodology – a creative act about creative acts, perpetuating and amplifying the magical energy it seeks to describe.

Alec Soth’s Advice for Young Artists is published by MACK and will be avilable to pre-order here now.