To celebrate President Obama’s inauguration, the New York Times photo director, Kathy Ryan, teamed up with Nadav Kander to photograph the administration of Barack Obama as it was being assembled.

52 photos later, today’s leading figures of America have been captured in the exhibition Obama’s People. Many of the images are life-sized and all are included in the exhibition’s World Premiere at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, from 18 April to 30 August 2009.

Rhonda Wilson, Creative Director of Rhubarb-Rhubarb, co-curator of the exhibition, will be talking to Nadav Kander about the story behind the commission, his approach to the shoots, the significance of the show at this time in the world, and how it has so quickly become the exhibition everyone is talking about.

Images
Hillary Clinton
Eugene Kang – Special Assistant to Barack Obama
© Nadav Kander for the New York Times Magazine