The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Sublimation of grief is a partial remedy that artists can use to make life more bearable. Julia Vandenoever, having lost her mother to cancer and her brother to addiction, was able to see connections between her own childhood and that of her own children growing up, with parallel events and... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Not too long ago, the term “abandoned moments” meant images that we would toss aside: subject not significant enough, not sharp enough, some blurring or out-of-focus areas, camera movement, and more. Well, nowadays that is the stuff that the finest photographic art is made of; they are the central techniques... Continue Reading →
Review by Kristin Dittrich • The greatest challenge for parents-to-be in starting their own family is to switch back and forth between a wide variety of roles and to combine them harmoniously. For the man, this means that on the one hand he is expected to be a reliable partner, the responsible “head of the... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • During a pandemic, during the worst of the chaos and angst, many of us must have found themselves reflecting on the past framed by the current moment. Sal Taylor Kydd in her latest poetic narrative, Yesterday, appears to pose an intriguing question, when might today start to resemble yesterday? This body of... 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 Melanie Chapman • A friend used to say “I don’t know if I miss New York, or if I just miss my twenties…” After looking through NEW YORKERS, the recent photobook by Sally Davies, the most likely response will be a resounding “YES!” to both. No matter your age or era, if you’ve... Continue Reading →
Review by Rudy Vega • Catherine Opie epitomizes what it means to be a prolific artist as Phaidon’s recent release, Catherine Opie aptly showcases. It is a handsome hardcover book of 338 pages of which 300 are of images, including 6 gatefolds. Additionally, there is an introductory essay, and three additional essays serving as lead-ins to the chapters,... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Many of us have several ethnic groups in our heritage, and we all certainly have lots of ancestors, but not all of us are able to trace our background details more than a couple of generations. And when we look in the mirror, do we recognize parts of those who... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Communicating with one’s parents can be quite a chore, no matter at what age we find ourselves. And for a girl growing up, her dad is that special guy who usually serves as the first example and model of what men might be like later on in her life. This... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • As I write this, spring is now into full swing and summer appears to be fast approaching. We are still in the midst of the fourth surge of the pandemic and half of the eligible Americans have had their first vaccine shot. Hope is in the air that perhaps this summer... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal 