550BC is an independent publishing house founded in Amsterdam in 2018 by Iranian-Dutch artist, photographer and visual anthropologist Pouria Khojastehpay. The publishing project focuses on photography, visual research and documentary practices, bringing together artists and subjects connected to conflict, violence, underground cultures, organised crime, subcultures and marginalised communities.
Rather than approaching these subjects through conventional documentary photography, 550BC often works with artists who have direct access to the environments and communities they photograph. The resulting books combine photography, archival material, interviews, personal documents and found imagery to create complex visual narratives that challenge conventional representations of violence and contemporary society.
Khojastehpay's own practice is closely connected to his interest in inaccessible and often misunderstood worlds. His work explores the relationship between photography, anthropology and lived experience, questioning how images can document realities that exist outside mainstream culture. This approach has become central to the identity of 550BC as a publisher.
Among the most recognised publications from 550BC are Playboys, Sicario Warfare, Crowbar Hotel, Ultra Violent and Dying to Exist. Each publication develops a distinct visual language while examining themes including criminality, masculinity, territorial identity, violence, survival and belonging.
Playboys explores the world of American biker culture and its complex relationship with identity, brotherhood and rebellion. Sicario Warfare examines the brutal realities surrounding organised crime and the drug trade in Mexico, while Crowbar Hotel looks into underground and marginal environments through an intensely immersive photographic approach. These publications demonstrate 550BC's commitment to producing books that go beyond conventional photojournalism.
The publishing house has developed a distinctive reputation within contemporary photobook culture for its carefully designed editions, strong editorial direction and uncompromising subject matter. 550BC publications are conceived as physical objects as much as photographic documents, with an emphasis on sequencing, archival research, materiality and the relationship between images and text.
At L'Imagerie, we select and offer photography books and collectible editions published by 550BC for collectors, photographers, artists and anyone interested in contemporary documentary photography and independent publishing. Our selection focuses on significant 550BC titles, special editions and signed copies when available.
Explore our selection of 550BC photography books and discover the work of Pouria Khojastehpay and the artists published by one of the most distinctive independent photobook publishers working today.
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