The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Douglas Stockdale • War, conflict and then its aftermath can create terrible consequences for man-kind. But what if what occurs afterward is benign and seemingly without any drama? Could this justify the conflict or afford one the opportunity to ignore or look away? This appears to be the indirect question raised by Emanuel Cederqvist’s... Continue Reading →
Review by Melanie Chapman • Timing is everything, as is perspective. This is true in photography as well as in life. Recently, the imposingly large statue of Robert E. Lee, the Civil War general who represented the racist past of the American south, was finally dismantled in just over an hour, after having dominated a residential... Continue Reading →
Review by Paul Anderson • In his work, Nick Prideaux investigates the quiet moments of life, working to illuminate the "delicate stillness" within them. He employs a Zen-like photographic style, providing a relaxing respite from this weary world. Prideaux’s images are simple and well composed, often containing either a single person or a glimpse of an... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • It may not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Duane Michals extensive photographic career spanning 50+ years that he is visual storyteller with a wicked sense of humor. His latest photobook of visual puns, The Idiots Delight - Plaisirs Ridicules, is a brilliant concept and complemented by an... Continue Reading →
Review by Wayne Swanson • Gaman: enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience, dignity, and silence. Shikata ga nai: it cannot be helped. For the Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II, these terms defined their incarceration. For photographic artist Jerry Takigawa, whose parents and grandparents were among them, “the shadow legacy from... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • An actor who challenges various norms in his performances can be expected to do the same when using photography as another outlet for his creative abundance. That’s a perfect description of Lars Eidinger – he is not afraid to devote his skills to creating characters who show us the darker... Continue Reading →
Review by Steve Harp • Gary Green’s monograph The River is Moving/The Blackbird Must be Flying (L’Artiere, 2020) is a beautiful and delicate object. Measuring 6 ½” by 9 ½”, enclosed between plain white softcovers, the book features a perfect binding with visible spine. In this exposed Smythe style of binding, the spine remains uncovered, leaving open the folded... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • I am frequently asked by participants in my creative book workshops about how to resolve a complex project in which they cannot determine how to choose and focus on just one aspect. I now have a brilliant solution in the recently self-published Gstettn by Regina Anzenberger; create a multitude of books in which... Continue Reading →
Review by Paul Anderson • Natalie Christensen arrived in New Mexico six years ago, and immediately found inspiration in this alluring and enchanted place. She has been producing a series of sparse and minimalist images of her new home, and a selection of these are featured in this book. Her enigmatic images focus on the buildings,... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • The title of Massimo Nolletti and HX’s artist book, Sea Change, sets the stage for the black and white seascapes of Nolletti, but this does not leave one prepared for the juxtaposition of HX’s series of black and white portraits. That her portraits are all printed on gatefolds allows these photographs when... Continue Reading →
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