Photobooks 2012

As the year draws to a close and the first lists of the best photo books are popping up like mushrooms out of the ground, I could not resist to make my own list for 2012. I hope you enjoy it and maybe you will see a book, which you haven’t on the other 1000 lists. 

Best, 

Sören

Mayumi Hosokura - Kazan

“Kazan”, is the first publication of japanese photographer Mayumi Hosokura. In her work, she creates dreamlike juxtapositions of the human form with natural and organic shapes and textures. 

“Kazan” was published by artbeat publishers, where you still get a copy. 

(pictures via: a-b-p.jp)

Sabrina Ragucci & Giorgio Falco - The Collared Dove Sound

“The Collared Dove Sound” by Sabrina Ragucci and Giorgio Falco was just recently published by Micamera.

Is it possible to combine images and sounds? How can photography and writing coexist in a place that does not itself exist? 

The Collared Dove Sound is the work that Sabrina Ragucci has patiently woven into the suburban area of Cortesforza, the imaginary place that can be found in the works of Giorgio Falco, starting from L’ubicazione del bene published by Einaudi in 2009.

Cortesforza is in reality the area southwest of Milan, “one of the most polluted places in Europe”. It represents the indistinguishable places, the indeterminateness between portions of world that are similar to each other.

(Pictures via domusweb.it)

Olivia Arthur - Jeddah Diary

Olivia Arthur’s debut, “Jeddah Diary,” was published by Fishbar and documents the lives of young Saudi women in Jeddah.

Olivia Arthur explored various options, to show photographs of women not wearing abayas.

“I tried cutting a bit of the picture out – but it feels aggressive taking a pair of scissors to an image. Then I tried putting little things on top of the image to cover their faces. Eventually, I decided to re-photograph them with a strong flash to obscure the faces. What was nice was the texture this gave the picture, which made it feel more like a physical object. I got slightly obsessed with trying out different photo labs to see what texture of matt paper they had.” - Olivia Arthur on Jeddah Diary at ideastap.com)

Sarah Bradley had a closer look at “Jeddah Diary” on photo-eye blog.

(pictures via: fishbar.ph)

Found photos in Detroit - Ariana Arcara & Luca Santese

“Found photos in Detroit” by Ariana Arcara & Luca Santese was published by Cesura Publish. 

“The book has different layers of reading but first of all, it was important for us was to make clear that we didn’t took those pictures and that they are found photos. This is why the cover is so clean and has neither our names or others information. We like the idea that the cover gets dirty easily.” - Arianna Arcara (the entire interview at Literal Affairs)

“Found photos in Detroit” reviewed by Vince Leo on LBM.

(pictures via: foundphotosindetroit.com)

Yosuke Yajima - Wild Nature

Yosuke Yajima’s self-published “Wild Nature” brings together photographs taken since 2008 on the relationship between nature and humans.

“Subject matter of my work ethic is how to really see things that are visible.

I remember clearly, as a child, I got suprised with the fact that the miscellaneous trees near my house was planned to plant.

Now, most of the nature in the world are controled, well-kept by humanbeing and becomming “artificial”. It made me questioning,”What is ‘nature’ in modern days”.  

We have misperception of humanbeing. We think as if we are in control of everything.At the same time, we use our power to take things out that are out of our control.  

The wild “nature” is there not to be touched. Although, it is very narrow and limited world.” - Yosuke Yajima 

(pictures via: parapera.net)

Cristina De Middel - The Afronauts

The self published book “The Afronauts” by Cristina De Middel looks at Zambia’s space programme launched in 1964 that would put the first african on the moon catching up the USA and the Soviet Union in the space race. The book is based on the documentation of an impossible dream that only lives in the pictures.

If you want to know more about Cristina De Middel and her project, make sure you check out the interview on Have a Nice Book.

(pictures via: lenscratch.com)

Rafał Milach - In The Car With R

“In The Car With R” is Rafał Milach was designed by Ania Nalecka (Tapir Book Design) and published by Czytelnia Sztuki Gallery.

The book has a very innovative and beautiful design and manages to arrange the different photo formats and texts skillfully. It definitely gives a very intimate feeling to it, which supports the story as a personal road diary.

Rafał Milach teamed up with the Icelandic writer Huldar Breiðfjörð, and together they took the highway #1, the only road surrounding Iceland and drove 1450km within 10 days.  

More about Rafał Milach here on Lost in Publications.

Yaakov Israel - The quest of the Man on the White Donkey

Yaakov Israel’s “The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey” published by Schilt Publishing, is a road-trip journey about the social history of Israel. 

While the background and context of this work is necessarily of a highly political nature, the path Israel follows is of a more mundane, personal, and poetically meditative tone, giving his images descriptive philosophical access to questions about land and history. - Winston Riley’s review on photoeye

(pictures via: photo-eye)

“I wasn’t informed by anything but my personal history, experience and understanding of my country. I can say that in the last 10 years I bumped into many extremely nice and helpful people from all origins, nationalities and political backgrounds, these encounters with people and places are very much at the core of this project.” - Yaakov Israel (the entire interview on Lenscratch)

Andres Gonzalez - Some(w)here

Some(w)here by Andres Gonzalez is about a journey in the most concrete and abstract sense of the word. The photographs were taken in different locations around the world as varied as Norway, Ukraine, Namibia, and Mexico.

Through the help of Kickstarter, Andres Gonzalez was able to self publish his book, which was deigned by award winning Dutch designer Sybren Kuiper (-SYB-). 

“I enjoy wandering, losing my way, daydreaming. It’s a matter of getting into a certain state of mind, where the distinction between the obvious and the extraordinary starts to blur. I think the tension you feel comes from not knowing which reading takes priority. I like my images to linger in that space between the literal and the metaphorical.” - Andres Gonzalez

The entire interview with Andres Gonzalez can be read on contacteditions.co.uk 

(pictures via andresgonzalezphoto.com)

If you are interested in Some(w)here you can still get copies directly on Andres website.

J Carrier - Elementary Calculus

Elementary Calculus, through a series of portraits, landscapes and still life photographs, observes the publicly private moments of these peregrine foreigners as they attempt to connect back to their homes. In his documentation of migrants and refugees in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Carrier explores the distance between reality and desire – the want for what was and the hope for what will be – and traces the manner in which we navigate the points between the unknowns. - mackbooks.co.uk

I highly recommend the piece on The Great Leap Sideways on Elementary Calculus and also the reviews by Adam Bell and Vince Leo.

(pictures via: mackbooks.co.uk)