Anna Shteynshleyger, Masha, 2002. © Anna Shteynshleyger, Courtesy the artist.

Perspectives 2012, opening on January 20 at the International Center of Photography (NY), is the second installment of an exhibition series that focuses on innovative artists working in photography and video. These small group exhibitions highlight the individual ideas and achievements of an engaging and eclectic group of talented artists. The aim of the series is to stimulate conversations about contemporary art and to showcase outstanding artworks that might not otherwise come to wide attention.

Chang The Jiang Family. Left: Fuzhou, China, 2004; Right: New York City, 2008. © Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum Photos, Courtesy of Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum Photos and Chi-Wen Gallery, Taipei

Perspectives 2012 includes works by three artists—Chien-Chi Chang, Greg Girard, and Anna Shteynshleyger —who explore what happens when tight-knit cultural communities are transplanted to unfamiliar geographic locales. Each artist is represented by a group of prints selected from a much larger body of work.

Greg Girard, B-52 (Memphis Belle IV), Andersen Air Base, Guam, 2008. © Greg Girard, Courtesy the artist and Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver and Toronto.

“Each of the photographers in this exhibition brings a highly personal vision and sensibility to the subject they have chosen,” said ICP Curator Christopher Phillips, who organized Perspectives 2012. “It is only when we step back that we realize they are all exploring aspects of one of the most distinctive social phenomena of our times.”

Perspectives 2012 is on view from January 20, 2012 through May 6, 2012