The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Review by Gerhard Clausing • As always, one has to take a very deep dive into people’s psyche, including one’s own, to understand the art of Roger Ballen. His latest publication, Spirits and Spaces, continues his exploration of the human psyche and the ambiguous terrain in which dreams, nightmares, and realities intersect. Ballen has always... Continue Reading →
Another year has gone by, so it’s time for us to present you with our new list of interesting photobooks. Our selections feature intriguing photographic content, brilliant project concepts, and excellent book designs that support the artist/photographer’s intent in conjunction with spot-on production qualities; the books that are the most interesting have a delightful combination... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • At times some of us feel a certain nostalgia and want to go back to our youth. We long to be boys or girls again, thinking that things were simpler in our youth. We imagine that life was more innocent and more harmonious than what we now face as adults.... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year & our 33th Issue • This is our last Issue for 2021 that includes a review of Matt Black's American Geography, which is one of our Interesting Artist and Photobooks for 2021. We will be starting the New Year off with a review of Ken Light's Course of the Empire another of our Interesting Photobooks for 2021, so stay tuned... Continue Reading →
Welcome to our 26th Issue • We are midway through Spring while Summer is fast approaching. Here in Southern California that means we transition from 'May Gray' to 'June Gloom'; lots of overcast and cooler days, with the really sunny beach weather usually appearing in July. Now is a really good time to select some interesting photobooks to read by... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • One person’s nightmare is another person’s reality. Sometimes the two realms are connected in mysterious ways. Roger Ballen is certainly the great master of showing us the seemingly absurd that impinges on the everyday, and here we have another, even more complex journey into Ballen’s universe. This time there is... Continue Reading →
Welcome to our 22nd Issue •Wow! And we thought 2020 had been a traumatic year. Then 2021 began in the U.S. with the attempted coup at our Capitol. Thus our book review schedule was a bit disrupted by this and related events, but we're getting back on track again with a new administration that is focused on keeping our American democracy intact.Looking ahead:... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Roger Ballen is taking us on another trip – this time viewed through the mind of an alter ego named Roger the Rat. This creature is a life-sized human-animal combo who wears the mask of a rodent and serves as the tool of Ballen’s mysterious puppetry. The fixed expression on... Continue Reading →
Artist: Roger Ballen (born New York City & resides Johannesburg, South Africa) Thames & Hudson, copyright 2017 Introduction: Robert J. C. Young; Essays: Roger Ballen Text: English Hard cover with printed dust cover, sewn binding, four-color lithography, index, bibliography, collections, picture credits, printed & bound by Artron, China Photobook designer: Sarah Praill Notes: This massive book... Continue Reading →
Interesting Photobooks of 2017, copyright Douglas Stockdale As in years past, we have been providing a short list of photobooks we have found interesting, whether it was the photographic content, concept of the project, the book’s design or production qualities; and most interesting when it was a delightful combination of all of these book elements.... Continue Reading →
PhotoBook Journal 