IDEA - Alice Mann - The Night Is Young

Alice Mann – The Night Is Young

IDEA’s first book of 2026 is The Night Is Young by South African photographer Alice Mann. Photographed between 2018 and 2023 at thirteen high schools, the book captures students at their Matric Balls, a defining moment at the end of their school years.

Through collaborative portraits, Mann documents how these young people choose to present themselves on this long-awaited night. The book includes a poem by Maureen Onwunali and an essay by Catherine E. McKinley.

Published by IDEA. Designed by SMITH, the book is a clothbound hardcover with tip-on image and gold foiling on the spine and back. 112 pages, 28 x 23 cm. First edition of 500 copies.