Guest Editorial & photography (copyright 2019) by Christine Riedell • After a whirlwind attendance at Paris Photo 2019, and the auxiliary photo book exhibitions, Polycopies and Offprint, all in Paris from November 6, 2019 through November 8, 2019, I came away with a much-energized knowledge of the state of photo books for 2019. I spent... Continue Reading →
Allison Stewart – Bug Out Bag: The Commodification of American Fear
Review by Gerhard Clausing • We find ourselves in a time of greater uncertainty. Thus our anxieties and fears are also greater, and we expect disasters – sudden catastrophes that can come about naturally, accidentally or by intent. Fires, earthquakes, storms and flooding are our main threats here in California; nuclear accidents and military aggression... Continue Reading →
Nico Bick – Parliaments of the European Union
Review by Steve Harp • Nico Bick’s Parliaments of the European Union (nai010 publishers, 2019) is an imposing volume. The book — 12" x 15", 272 pages, weighing in at almost 9 pounds — exudes the gravitas of its subject matter. Consisting of 30 four-page foldouts (double gate-folds), it depicts the legislative chambers of the 28... Continue Reading →
Patrick Brown – No Place On Earth
Review by Melanie Chapman • When Never Again Repeats Itself: If ever there was a singular book that exemplifies the meaning of “Photo Evidence” (FotoEvidence), this essential publication documenting the tragic plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees certainly must be that book. So beautiful are the images and so heavy is the topic; this new collection of... Continue Reading →
Mark F. Erickson – Other Streets
Review by Douglas Stockdale • “You can’t go home again” is the famous quote by Thomas Wolfe, but what if you do not have any memory or recall of what home might be? Which is the case for Mark Erickson, who was born in Vietnam, then adopted at an early age by an American family... Continue Reading →
Letícia Lampert – Conhecidos de Vista
Review by Wayne Swanson • Densely packed multi-story apartment buildings are a fact of life in today’s crowded cities. Brazilian photographer Letícia Lampert cleverly explores the paradoxes of vertical living by taking a horizontal view in Conhecidos de Vista (Known by Sight). Lampert adopted the leporello (accordion-fold) book design to construct her own urban neighborhood from... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal – Issue #7
Welcome to Issue #7 (October 2019) • The month of November is the beginning of the Fall photobook season in preparation for the end of year gift buying holidays, and many new titles have become available. So we are busy with a new batch of book reviews and related book events, two of which on the left coast we feature in... Continue Reading →
Carissa Dorson – Conversations with Dad
Review by Gerhard Clausing • As we all know, communicating with one’s parents can be a challenge, not only in our early years, but later on as well. Often the verbal exchanges are limited to mostly necessary everyday topics and take the form of very limited small talk, and other kinds of interaction can also... Continue Reading →
Michael Kenna – Beyond Architecture
Review by Wayne Swanson • Imagine having the chance to lose yourself in the archives of a master photographer, to wander among the images with no set expectations or goals. What would strike your fancy? Author and designer Yvonne Meyer-Lohr was given that chance. She roamed through nearly a half-century’s worth of Michael Kenna’s photography... Continue Reading →
2019 Medium Festival of Photography
by Douglas Stockdale • Many of the West coast staff of PhotoBook Journal convened at the 2019 Medium Festival last Saturday for the various presentations and book signings. Joining me were Associate Editor Gerhard Clausing, Wayne Swanson (our Contributing Editor in San Diego who attended the entire four-day event), Debe Arlook and Jonas Yip. Central to my... Continue Reading →