The Contemporary Photobook Magazine
Reviewed by Steve Harp • North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) seems in many ways as distant and inaccessible – to Americans, at least – as the moon. And like the moon, I have long had a kind of ambivalent desire to experience it first-hand. A desire, that is, as long as it is unlikely. Should... Continue Reading →
Review by Steve Harp • When I was younger and traveled more frequently, some of my favorite places to photograph in foreign countries were grocery stores. The items on the shelves - daily staples of life - were recognizable but different: packaging, the numbering units for pricing and size, the product names. They were uncanny in the sense... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • The 2018 dreamy lyrics of ‘When the Ocean Drinks the Sky’ from Lord Huron’s song ‘When the Night is Over’ has inspired a number of artists, most recently when appropriated by Stephanie Duprie Routh’s first photobook. Her modification of the lyrics, changing the 'When', signifying time, to 'Where', is to change the... Continue Reading →
Review by Gerhard Clausing • Photography is at its best when it arouses the viewer’s imagination. What, when, where, why – are the questions that can be of foremost concern when we, the viewers, are rattled into participatory looking and are projecting ourselves into images that are presented to us by someone else. Particularly during... Continue Reading →
Review by Douglas Stockdale • Nick Brandt’s latest photobook, The Day May Break, is another evolutionary step in his process of investigating the environmental and ecological issues facing the African continent that represent the greater issues facing mankind worldwide. He utilizes his extensive cinematic experience to create emotionally charged photographic portraits that juxtapose people and animals to... 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 →
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 →
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