The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Gerhard Clausing • When reality is presented as a hoax and made-up stories are flooding social media to substitute for reality, what do we have left to treasure as our actuality? When writers who question the government are attacked as enemies of the people, does the definition of ‘friends’ get altered to include... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Poland is a country that has been subjected to tumultuous ups and downs for many hundreds of years, with particular trauma inflicted in the 20th century by occupying forces, and most especially the horrors of genocide, as well as ever-changing borders. In the 21st century, with more open arrangements within... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Sometimes a photobook can really get to you, with a narrative that is quite real. At the same time, while it may be full of mystery, the visual and verbal narrative that expresses the truth behind the mystery with all its unsolved challenges is so direct and insistent that it... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • What does a sorcerer’s apprentice observe over a sixteen-year period? Avedon was certainly a flamboyant creator, and Lewin, his assistant, became an amazing artist in his own right. In this attractive photobook we are taken on a photographic journey, supplemented by verbal narrative, that documents those years of collaboration. Gideon... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Bullying seems to be the main manifestation of a new disease that is marked by an inability to accept the fact that we are all different, in appearance, thought, and heritage. With the highest office of the US occupied by one who sets a bad example in this regard, is... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • These days it is especially refreshing to see projects that honor caring for others. Yoffy Press has a program that persuades three photographers to contribute work to a concept, resulting in a trio of small books. In this case the topic is “caress” – an idea that can be widely... Continue Reading →
Review by Kristin Dittrich • When her photobook reached me for review, I had to put it aside at first. Benita Suchodrev’s Of Lions and Lambs weighs a hefty 5 kg and comprises more than 360 pages. In the past, books like this one contained an artist’s life’s work; today, other standards exist in many... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • An old ‘craftsman-style’ house and recollections of times spent there – these are the ingredients of this photobook. Photographer George Katzenberger weaves a very appealing narrative around a place he documented a long time ago, which still has meaning for him even now. The old house that once stood at... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • It’s been more than half a century since Robert Frank stirred things up with his first major work, The Americans. Some of what he, the outsider, observed in regard to racial inequality and strife, economic hardships, and political swagger are still in need of improvement even as these lines are... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • An excellent portrait is one that transcends time and place and is able to reach us with eternal human truths. This is a difficult task, since many individuals wear their outer appearance and their facial expressions like masks that are difficult for photographers to penetrate. In the case of people... Continue Reading →
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