The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Reviewed by Rudy Vega • The cover of Julie Blackmon’s Midwest Materials depicts the following: four children-all of which have their faces turned away from us, the viewers. They are caught in mid-stride–two girls skipping towards the wall of the building marked by the name of the book- Midwest Materials, while another has arms stretched skyward... 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 Wayne Swanson • Arab Spring. The Mexican-U.S. border crises. Ongoing strife in Africa. And now the exodus from Ukraine to escape the Russian assault. What to do with all these refugees? Germany, in the wake of the wave of emigration caused by Arab Spring uprisings in 2015, emerged as a beacon of hope by... Continue Reading →
Review by Melanie Chapman • The mystery that is India, “where you can touch what is most essential, where life and death are always side-by-side.” This is the subject of the new photobook by renowned colorist Harry Gruyaert, representing a dozen trips made over the span of forty years. In his introduction, Magnum photographer Gruyaert reflects on... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • Although Brian O’Neill’s southern California subject, Beach Boulevard, extends from the San Gabriel mountains to the Pacific Ocean, his emphasis appears to circle around one of the end-points: the urban landscape of Huntington Beach, a costal community. His perspective is a combination of street photographer, with hints of photographic-documentary, overlaid with... Continue Reading →
PBJ Issue Number 35 • February became a difficult month for those who love democracy, with an unrelenting attack of Ukraine by a madman in Russia. We are unsure of how this will end, but I am voting for the people of Ukraine to persevere. Remember, most Russian citizens do not support this war, thus as you consider what Russian goods to... 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 Darin Boville • Redmond O'Hanlon's basic writing strategy is to put himself in some remote and dangerous place and to write about how he overcame obstacle after obstacle to his very survival and found his way back. This is a strategy that will be familiar to many artists. Bill Bryson thinks the world of... Continue Reading →
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 →
PhotoBook Journal 