photographs copyright of photographers and publishers
FOTOGRAFIA Festival Internazionale di Roma XI Edition: Work
The theme of Work for XI FotoGrafia di Roma is complex and multi-faceted subject, which I attempted to broadly explore in my selection of contemporary PhotoBooks for this exhibition. This theme is also ambiguous and illusive, which can be as much about one does as well as what one is doing.
I want to create the opportunity for those attending this exhibition to investigate the contemporary aspects and explore the rich narratives as to what constitutes work, as seen by a diverse range of creative photographers in conjunction with their book designers and publishers who support these endeavors. As a result, I selected what I hope is an interesting mix in the various ways photographers using the PhotoBook as a medium investigate this conceptual theme. The PhotoBooks continue to add yet another layer and dimension to the Festival’s theme, as the PhotoBook object is also the actual work of a photographer, book designer, printer and publisher.
In addition to the PhotoBooks being present as a physical object, I am complementing these with a concurrent exhibition of interior double-page spreads re-photographed by the photographers. Thus the physical book would be present for viewing as well as be surrounded in a sea of interior photographs that should create a reference to the other.
In my investigation of this conceptual theme, I find an undercurrent of identity interwoven in many of these PhotoBooks, posing a quintessential question; are we defined by work, or does work define us?
The photographers and their PhotoBooks that will be in the exhibition, in alphabetic order, are:
Pierre Bessard – Behind China’s Growth
Julie Blackmon – Domestic Vacations
Paul Flyod Blake – Personal Best
Andrew Buurman – Allotments
Michal Chelbin – The Black Eye
Chris Coekin – The Altogether
Clayton Cotterell – Unarmed
Marco Delogu – The Thirty Assassins
Charlotte Dumas – Al Lavoro!
Andy Freeberg – Guardians
Thijs Heslenfeld – Men at Work
Sarah Hobbs – Small Problems in Living
Henry Horenstein – SHOW
Rob Hornstra – Sochi Singers
Pieter Hugo – Permanent Error
Ron Jude – Lick Creek Line
Chris Killip – Seacoal
Gina LeVay – Sandhogs
Janne Lehtinen – Night Shift (not available)
Rania Matar – A Girl in her Room
Kendall Messick – The Projectionist
Darin Mickey – Stuff I Gotta Remember Not to Forget
Cristina de Middel (Puch) – The Afronauts
Bertil Nilsson – Undisclosed
Andreas Oetker-Kast – manpower
Louie Palu – Cage Call
Lina Pallotta – Piedras Negras
Christian Patterson – Redheaded Peckerwood
Dana Popa – Not Natasha
Nina Poppe – ama
Florian von Roekel – How Terry Likes His Coffee
Ken Schles – Oculus
Martin Schoeller – Female Bodybuilders (not available)
Melissa Shook – My Suffok Downs
Lars Tunbjork – Office
I will be posting information on most of these PhotoBooks leading up to the exhibition in September.
As to the PhotoBook exhibition:
dates: September 20 through October 28, 2012
venue: MACRO Testaccio, Piazza Orazio Giustiniana 4, Roma
Best regards, Douglas Stockdale
Curator, 2012 FotoGrafia di Roma PhotoBook exhibition
Note: the photobook exhibition is now scheduled for a Southern California one-night pop up exhibit at the Irvine Fine Art Center on October 18th, more information here.
PhotoBook Journal 
Reblogged this on RAGHUBIR NEGI.WORDPRESS.COM.
Raghubir, thank you for sharing!