Book of the Week: A Pick by Miwa Susuda

Book of the Week Book of the Week: A Pick by Miwa Susuda Photobook consultant and publisher Miwa Susuda selects Does Yellow Run Forever? by Paul Graham as photo-eye Book of the Week.

Does Yellow Run Forever? By Paul Graham.

MACK, 2014.

This week's Book of the Week pick comes from Photobook Consultant and publisher Miwa Susuda who has selected Does Yellow Run Forever? by Paul Graham published by MACK.

"'One sees here that solipsism, carried to extremes, coincides with realism,' my favorite quote by Wittgenstein, is an indispensable factor for being one of the great artists, and this always reminds me of Paul Graham's work. Graham has been the one of the most progressive and important critical figures in photography, presenting novel views of the world through each of his unique projects over the past three decades. However, because his work doesn't derive from his personal accounts, and it looks extremely realistic without any manipulation, many readers have a hard time feeling close to it. We have to admit that we expect something humanistic, and in general want to receive a clear message from an artist’s work. When we don't get a visually warm, welcoming invitation, we are likely to feel puzzled, betrayed or disappointed. Graham's new work, Does Yellow Run Forever? definitely displays his signature style of eliminating his own subjective mind, and it doesn't guide us to his intentions easily. The work comprises three groups of images: photographs of rainbows from Western Ireland, a sleeping dreamer (his partner), and gold stores in the United States. Due to the seemingly obvious connotations of these iconic images, we quickly judge that this book explores ephemeral questions of our lives, such as love, wealth, happiness, and beauty. But then we find these symbolic elements mere cliches and way too simple. Graham doesn't define linear value systems of rightness, beauty or goodness in our lives, but instead he provides us with opening questions for meanings of life, and he also embraces fleeting moments of emotions like the happy, magical and wonderful in everyday life. These are all very precious and that's possibly enough to get through the day. In fact, I consider this some of the most personal and intimate work that Graham has ever produced." —Miwa Susuda

Purchase Book

Does Yellow Run Forever? By Paul Graham. MACK, 2014.

Does Yellow Run Forever? By Paul Graham. MACK, 2014.

Miwa Susuda is Photobook Consultant of Dashwood Books, New York, NY. She is Director of Session Press, an independent publisher devoted to introducing new work by contemporary Japanese artists. She is a contributing writer to Fraction Magazine Japan, diaStandard and 10x10 American Photobook. Her exhibition/book reviews and interviews include Alec Soth, Mitch Epstein, Larry Clark, Ed Templeton and Takuma Nakahira so on.

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