Review by Douglas Stockdale •
A mysterious and ambiguous narrative with dark hints of surrealism, which in some ways appears that I am attempting to describe a fine bottle of wine. Perhaps I am.
In Harvey Benge’s introduction, he states that this smaller body of work is an extraction from a trade book intended to be published in 2018 and that this compilation of photographs was created over a ten year duration. “In this experimental work I simply wanted to see what would happen if I constructed this book only using the Auckland pictures, placing them in the same order that they will appear in the expanded trade edition. This makes for a picture sequence that is totally random and constructed without the use of logic or intuition. Make of it what you will.”
Nevertheless there are still some characteristics of Benge’s photo-documentary style that resonates with me apparently irrespective of this attempt at randomness. Each page spread is a mini-drama echoing some element; be it shapes, color or a similar poignant moment. This stylistic thread that runs thru the book probably hearkens back to the larger edit in his investigation of the nature of dreams. His short narrative creates an interest in what still lies ahead.
Other photobooks of Harvey Benge reviewed on TPBJ: The Month Before Trump, Still Looking for It, All of the Places I’ve Even Known, Eat Me, Sri Lanka Diary, February 2011, Birds, Against Forgetting
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Photographer: Harvey Benge (born New Zealand & resides Auckland, New Zealand & Paris)
FAQEDITIONS (Self-Published) Limited Edition, signed and numbered book + print (E 50): Auckland, NZ copyright 2017
Text: English
Stiff cover, saddle-stitch binding, four-color printing, printed in NZ
Photobook designer: Harvey Benge
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PhotoBook Journal 