The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Kathleen Y. Clark - The White House China Welcome to our 20th and our annual Interesting Books for 2020 Issue •This month is the big reveal of our annual list of Interesting Artist and Photographic Books for 2020. This is not intended to be a list of “Best” books or inclusive of all that was published this year. Rather, we considered whether the concept, photographic... Continue Reading →
As in years past, we have been providing a short list of artist books and photographic books we have found to be very interesting. These are books that we continue to return to engage with again and again. Our selection derives from books with intriguing photographic content, brilliant project concepts, and excellent book designs that... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • This is one disorienting book. It deals with serious social issues — the effects of environmental pollution, institutional racism, the rise and fall of the industrial economy, and more. Yet the photos sure are beautiful. The painterly effects invite comparisons with a who’s who of modern artists. That’s a lot... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Ah, the vagaries of time ... and yet, in all of that there is something of enduring value – friendship, the comfort of having kindred spirits. Rick Schatzberg and all the participants have created a unique photobook that has time and bonding as its central themes and that succeeds in... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • Living in a large urban city can be an intense experience. The constant crush of humanity at times a little bit overwhelming, while trying to find some personal space may be slightly vexing. Perhaps this is more of the view point of someone who finds themselves immersed in this sea... Continue Reading →
Review by Paul Anderson • In a very curious way, photographs can be magical. Photographs, as is well known, capture three-dimensional scenes as frozen moments in time. This action instantly transforms a scene into a new context. Sometimes, that transformation provides a contemplative experience. A skilled photographer can transform an everyday scene that, say, a New... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Mutual admiration between two photographers can be extraordinary, especially when it stimulates new work and when it happens across cultures. Even more important, this universal theme of life and death leaves no one untouched. Nobuyoshi Araki had seen Juergen Teller’s project Leben und Tod including pictures of his grieving mother... Continue Reading →
Review by Steve Harp • Searching for Stillness Vol II is Michael Behlen’s 2019 follow-up to his 2013 Searching for Stillness Vol I. Volume II is a delightful object which challenges the notion of what might be meant by photobook. In fact, it might be better described as a photobox. The book itself is a slim, perfect bound... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • From the first images, it’s obvious that this is a book of photographs from the war-torn Middle East. Iraq perhaps, or maybe Afghanistan. It’s hard to tell. But the desert settings, harsh desert light, and stark desert compounds make the location clear. Except that it’s not. The setting is actually... Continue Reading →
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 →
