The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Hans Hickerson · Looking at photobooks from well-established publishers can be disappointing. You often see safe editorial choices – large formats, cloth covers, premium printing, bankable names, portfolios laid out one picture to a spread and surrounded by expanses of white paper, and not much in the way of innovative form or content.... Continue Reading →
By Hans Hickerson • [Editor’s Note: These interviews are an interesting look at the history and wherewithal of this event, and accompany the report and visual essay we published a few days ago.] Paris, November 10, 2024 Sebastian Hau Hans Hickerson: So, can you tell a little bit about the history of Polycopies and how... Continue Reading →
Report and Visual Essay by Hans Hickerson • Polycopies started as a small popup photobook sales event with a few vendors in 2014. It has grown and today includes prizes, speakers, workshops, and focused programs. It was on a refreshingly more human scale than Paris Photo, but at peak hours it too could become a mosh... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Mo Yi is an interesting Chinese photographer of Tibetan origin. He has had only a few major exhibitions in the West; this photobook and the related exhibitions (UCCA Center for Contemporary Art and Arles Photography Festival) are a welcome change. His work encompasses several decades of experimenting with images of... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • The exhibition catalog that was developed for a traveling group show, Memory is a Verb, Exploring Time and Transience, which unlike many group exhibitions, is remarkable in its diversity by the eleven women who participated in this project. As stated in the foreword, “…brings together eleven women photographic artists exploring the liminal space between... Continue Reading →
LA Art Book Fair, entrance, copyright 2023 Jonas Yip Review by Douglas Stockdale and Gerry Clausing • This August we saw the return of the LA Art Book Fair 2023, which like many art and book fairs had been impacted by COVID 19 in early 2020. This book fair, sponsored by Printed Matter, looked and felt... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Stage photography, especially when it involves theatrical productions, is both a craft and an artistic endeavor requiring great skills. Not only do you have to be in command of your photography, but you also have to be a talented communicator, dealing with the director of the play, with the actors,... Continue Reading →
Review by Kristin Dittrich • As a contributing Editor for Photobook Journal, I usually focus on reviewing contemporary photobooks published in Europe. In May 2022 I had the opportunity to be in New York City (this event was held May 21st and 22nd) concurrent with the first "Photobook Fest“, which is sponsored by the International Center for... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • The categories of genders and gender-related behaviors and preferences are not as binary as some would have us believe. According to Western psychology, we all have both male and female sides; either side can predominate or be more pronounced at times in individuals. The same is true of a variety... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • While we at PhotoBook Journal tend to defer from broad thematic photobooks with a multitude of contributors, and in general the illustrated catalogs for exhibitions usually have little design and layout merit. I take exception with the recent exhibition publication in conjunction with Harvard Art Museums being very worth investigating. The exhibition and... Continue Reading →
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