Review by Gerhard Clausing • Why do some still consider war a useful method of dealing with conflicts? Armed encounters between groups of people, whether within a country or between countries, do not seem like a very sophisticated way of solving problems, or of improving the human condition. Where are the boundaries between “necessities” and... Continue Reading →
Tomas Wüthrich – Doomed Paradise
Review by Gerhard Clausing • In this photobook the documentary photographer Tomas Wüthrich provides us with a visual glimpse into our own past, into a world without supermarkets that supply us with our meat, fruits, and vegetables. It is a fascinating journey into the disappearing world of the Penan people of Borneo, who were discovered... Continue Reading →
Kathleen Y. Clark – The White House China
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Overcoming the past is a prerequisite for a better future. While we cannot change any of the things our predecessors have done, our obligation is to open ourselves to an honest assessment of the past and to bring about improvements. An honest acknowledgment of historical events and of cultural shifts... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal – Issue #14
Welcome! It's another month as we continue our different "reopening" phases during the days of COVID-19, although there appears to be changes slowly occurring. I continue to hear of the issues and problems encountered by self-publishing artists, small publishing imprints, indie bookstores and even the larger publishing groups have been impacted. This has been a really... Continue Reading →
Masculinities – Liberation through Photography
Review by Gerhard Clausing • We are not all the same, and it would be naïve to expect others to be or to become exactly like ourselves and to share identical visions. So the notion of what is represented by the concept “masculinity” also requires many diverse responses; hence the title of this retrospective of... Continue Reading →
Steve McCurry – Animals
Review by Gerhard Clausing • We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. – Immanuel Kant • Everyone photographs animals, but very few do it well. While we can capture cute expressions of our pets, to understand and depict our fellow creatures from a more comprehensive perspective and with all... Continue Reading →
Joyce Fischer Rohrmoser – Rent a Foreigner
Review by Gerhard Clausing • China, the country that mass-produces for the rest of the world, has also undergone many internal changes in the 21st century, and this project illuminates one such aspect: the upscale desires of China’s rising middle class. For several years Joyce Rohrmoser was hired as a foreign ‘presence’ for the marketing... Continue Reading →
Maxim Dondyuk – Culture of Confrontation
Review by Gerhard Clausing • In these crazy times it is especially disheartening to view violent scenes of man-made confrontations between “right and wrong” – a clash of cultures, defined in this photobook as differing and seemingly opposing world views, old versus new perspectives. At issue is the question of where Ukraine’s allegiance should be... Continue Reading →
Andreas Mader – Days, Life / Die Tage Das Leben 1988-2018
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Traditional family photo albums and internet visuals of families are commonplace, often full of clichés and mostly of use only to those appearing in the photographs and possibly their closest relatives and friends. On the other hand, to see family members and friends professionally observed in formal portraits, with full... Continue Reading →
Bea Nettles – Harvest of Memory
Review by Gerhard Clausing • In our age of ubiquitous selfies and “mixed media” it is refreshing to review the work of an artist who is truly a pioneer in the area of visual self-evaluation with artistic purposes. With a strong background in painting, a fearless approach to self-assessment, and a love for language, Bea... Continue Reading →