Boy Stories. Photographs by Johan Willner.
Published by Hatje Cantz, 2012.
 

Boy Stories

Reviewed by John Mathews

Boy Stories
Photographs by Johan Willner.
Hatje Cantz, 2012. Hardbound. 80 pp., 35 color illustrations, 11-3/4x9-3/4".

Boy Stories combines documentary and staged photography in order to explore a series of Johan Willner's deep-rooted childhood memories. In his introduction Willner poetically reminisces about growing up in Sweden and talks about how his father’s mental breakdown affected him as a youth. Willner creates a child like point of view by showing us the minute details of his everyday life. He then intersperses this imagery with more dramatic and uncanny incidents from his childhood.

A striking image that opens the book shows a suited businessman in a dark forest, trying to retrieve some lost papers from a pool of water. Like the story of narcissus the man seems to be drawn in and enraptured by his own reflection. The symbolic meaning of the image is emphasised by its protracted title, which reads Midway life's journey I was made aware That I had strayed into a dark forest, And the right path appeared not anywhere. Like many images within the book it possesses an incongruous mix of dreaminess and hyperrealism.

Boy Stories, by Johan Willner. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2012.

Other photographs such as The Battle of Innocence look at the cold and harsh reality of human nature. The scene depicts a group of young boys who have just shot a swan with their bows and arrows. What may have started out as a childhood game has morphed into a callous act of brutality. The boy’s stand self assuredly over their prey with strange look of pride and fear. Like some Greek fable they have each lost their innocence by realising their ability to kill.

Boy Stories, by Johan Willner. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2012.

Boy Stories, by Johan Willner. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2012.

In another image entitled Standstill a woman stares from a train window, as if she is caught in a hypnotic trance. This is followed by another image called Forward which features a boy walking from a burning building. Willner strongly identifies with this figure and uses him to express his childhood hopes, fears and anxieties. The photographs, when paired together, are suggestive of mental inertia and resurrection. As he states in his introduction "I saw a boy leave his home. The house is burning down behind him, and everything is lost in flames. It gives him strength; he bears no guilt. In the fire he finds a way to move forward to another life in another context. Leaving is sometimes a far greater feat than staying." Like a type of dreamscape, one is never quite sure if Willner is creating a chronological narrative to the book or if he is jumping about between different points in time. His delicate use of light, awareness of urban space and underlying sense of melancholy is similar to Edward Hopper's cityscape paintings.

Boy Stories, by Johan Willner. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2012.

Willner uses photography to investigate suppressed memories much in the same way as a psychoanalyst might use dreams to explore mental states. The images represent a way for Willner to cathartically reengage with his childhood self and for him to come to terms with traumatic events, such as his father's illness. Boy Stories examines the elusive nature of childhood memory and how it can often be a strange mix of dream, reality, nostalgia and half remembered truths.—JOHN MATHEWS

purchase book

JOHN MATHEWS is an artist, archivist and curator based between Nova Scotia, Canada and Northern Ireland.

ABC. Photographs by William Klein.
Published by Abrams, 2013.
 

ABC

Reviewed by John Mathews

ABC
Photographs by William Klein.
Abrams, 2013. Hardbound. 184 pp., 196 color illustrations, 11-1/2x8".

Glancing through the pages of ABC one can quickly get a sense of Klein's frenetic and inquisitive eye. These qualities are particularly evident within a series of lively New York street portraits from 1956, which depict an assortment of gregarious characters. The sense of dialogue between the Kline and his subjects is palpable. Whether by accident or provocation he seems highly proficient at getting people to perform for him and on rare occasions they also try to hide. In one photo a smiling face is pressed expectantly against the glass of a shop window and in another, a hand blocks a face in a gesture of anonymity. Regardless of the reaction Klein keeps moving on down the street, ready to focus in on his next target.

Klein seems instinctively aware of the dynamics of city spaces and he uses them to great effect in order emphasise the mood of people. An image taken from his 1964 Moscow series shows a group of youths playing ping-pong in a courtyard, using a dinner table and planks of wood as bats. An otherwise playful scene is dominated by an austere apartment building that completely engulfs the youths. A small tree with a large iron railing around it mirrors this feeling of entrapment. From one perspective the image could be an allegory for hope and endurance in the face of poverty and from another it could symbolise the way in which these youths are trapped by their circumstances. Many of Klein's photographs contain such ambiguous meanings, which stick in the mind.

ABC, by William Klein. Published by Abrams, 2013.

Klein's fashion work is also represented within the book and many of these images have an uncanny undertone, which slightly undermines their glamorous nature. A French fashion spread from the 1960s shows two models posing in a waxworks museum. Within this scene it is difficult to distinguish the real people from the wax mannequins. Ironically one pays more attention to the models than if they were photographed alone. Another fashion shot shows a model surrounded by a crowd who have all had their faces cut out. Is Kline making a wry comment on consumer culture or is he creating some type of surrealist joke?

ABC, by William Klein. Published by Abrams, 2013.

In the 1990s Klein began to reinvent some of his previous photographic works by making large scale prints of black and white contact sheets and then painting over them using bright primary colours. Kline seems intrigued by the before and after images of the contact sheets and uses them as a way of exploring and demystify the notion of the perfect image. These highly graphic works, which bridge photography and painting, emphasise Kline's desire to experiment with every aspect of the photographic process.

ABC, by William Klein. Published by Abrams, 2013.

In another photomontage image entitled Mickey takes over Times Square, New York, 1998 a giant hand painted Mickey Mouse towers over a bustling street scene that is entirely composed of advertisements for burgers, whisky and peep shows. Mickey seems poised and ready to unleash his glee upon the city, in a weird parable of excess. Even though Klein is a participant within the world of advertising, one gets the impression that he isn't convinced by what it has to offer. Kline seems equally fascinated and repulsed by consumer culture. He doesn't so much pass judgement on the media world but offers an alternative viewpoint.

ABC, by William Klein. Published by Abrams, 2013.

Klein personally supervised the design of ABC and he has approached it in a spirit of playfulness. The book avoids being overly analytical and relies on images to tell the story of Klein's rich and eclectic career. The collection also shows us Kline's unique ability to experiment with and fuse together his many interests in photography, painting, graphic design and film. It is an entertaining cross section of work that successfully captures Klein's gusto, mischievousness and natural sense of curiosity.—JOHN MATHEWS

purchase book

JOHN MATHEWS is an artist, archivist and curator based between Nova Scotia, Canada and Northern Ireland.

From Polaroid to Impossible. Edited by Achim Heine.
Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

From Polaroid to Impossible

Reviewed by John Mathews

_____________________________________

Achim Heine From Polaroid to Impossible
Edited by Achim Heine, Rebekka Reuter, Ulrike Willingmann, texts by Achim Heine, Barbara P. Hitchcock & Florian Kaps.

Hatje Cantz, 2011. Hardbound. 192 pp., 230 color illustrations, 9-3/4x12-1/2".

In a quest to profile Polaroid as a serious and cutting edge art form, its inventor Edwin H. Land and the photographer Ansel Adams established the Polaroid Collection in the late 1950s. The collection was supplemented by the introduction of the Polaroid Artist Support Program in the 1960s, which provided free film and cameras to a range of established and emerging photographers in exchange for selected prints. Photographers donated work on the premise that the collection would remain together for public viewing and study. The mantra of this unique program was innovation, invention and creativity. By 2008 Polaroid had amassed 16,000 prints by a range of high profile artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. However in 2008 Polaroid was declared bankrupt and its assets, including the prestigious collection, were seized and later auctioned. The prospect of the sale produced an outcry from the photography fraternity and a group of artists spearheaded by Chuck Close campaigned against the dispersal of the collection. The European part of the collection has been preserved in its entirety thanks to a successful last minute bid by the Westlicht photography museum in Vienna. The resulting book, From Polariod to Impossible, celebrates the unique characteristics of Polaroid and explores the special relationship that existed between the company and an exciting array of photographers who were given carte blanche to experiment and push the format to its full creative potential.

From Polaroid to Impossible, by Achim Heine. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

This book focuses mainly upon Polaroid works from the 1970s and 1980s and is classified by film formats. The first chapter looks at the ultra large 20X24” format that was used exclusively for special Polaroid commissions. Only seven of these cameras were ever manufactured and each required a team of Polaroid technicians to transport and operate. One such commission from 1989 is ‘Ritual Observance’ by Dennis Farber, which depicts an outdoor gym. The photograph has been embellished with layers of paint and gold leaf, which accentuates the energy and nascent qualities of the Polaroid image. A majority of the 20X24” images from this chapter tend to be very polished and meticulous studio based works, which is probably due to the cumbersome scale and expense of the format.

From Polaroid to Impossible, by Achim Heine. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

The chapter featuring the 4X5” and 8X10” Polaroid formats contains an eclectic mix of portraits, abstractions and colour studies. These images range from everyday geometric investigations such as Terry Walker’s ‘Traffic Barrels’ 1975, to more staged works such as Paul Huf’s haunting ‘Untitled’ image from 1977, which features a dreamlike and sensual tableaux of draped mannequins. The book concludes with a chapter on the most iconic and widely used Polaroid integral film format. Images such as Auke Bergsma series of figurative colour studies from 1981 have a very spontaneous, playful and fluid feel to them. This vibrant sequence creates a type of fantasy narrative by channelling a spirit of inquisitiveness and furtive excitement.

From Polaroid to Impossible, by Achim Heine. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

Within our current digital age there is nothing to quite rival the tactile and alchemical qualities of Polaroid. The Polaroid archive spans more than sixty years and contains over 16,000 images. This book provides a brief glimpse into that unique collection and is a fitting tribute to the innovation, invention and creativity that the Polaroid format inspired.—JOHN MATHEWS

purchase book


JOHN MATHEWS is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Places, Strange and Quite, Photographs by Wim Wenders.
Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

Places, Strange and Quite

Reviewed by John Mathews

_____________________________________

Wim Wenders Places, Strange and Quiet
Photographs by Wim Wenders
Hatje Cantz, 2011. Hardbound. 124 pp., 37 color illustrations, 6-1/2x8-3/4".

Places, Strange and Quiet is a visual diary of journeys taken throughout Europe, Japan and North America by the German filmmaker Wim Wenders. The locations are possibly discovered through reconnaissance for potential film locations and may act as a way of consolidating Wenders' distinctive cinematic vision. Within the book there are nine panoramic fold out panels that emphasise the cinematic undertones of the collection.

Wenders' develops an acute awareness of his environment using the fresh perspective of a stranger and manages to capture the unique and hidden quirks of areas. He derives great pleasure and stimulus from simply wandering around places and getting lost. Through these journeys he discovers a range of unexpected vistas such as vacant lots, odd recesses and abandoned railway tunnels that contain hidden paintings. He explains his reasoning within the following excerpt from the book: "When you travel a lot, and when you love to just wander around and get lost, you can end up in the most unusual spots…. I don't know, it must be some sort of built-in radar that often directs me to places that are strangely quiet, or quietly strange."

Places, Strange and Quiet, by Wim Wenders. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

Places, Strange and Quiet, by Wim Wenders. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

Many of the locations that Wenders chances upon are uninhabited and have a melancholy beauty to them, whilst others take a more humorous look at subjects such as tourism, cultural appropriation and the way in which urban spaces are occupied. The photographs are propelled by an intuitive and often bemused sense of curiosity that finds symmetry and beauty within everyday situations. Overall the book has a meditative sense of calm, which is extenuated by the short haiku-style texts that accompany each of the images. These poetic and anecdotal texts, which are also presented in their original German, succinctly comment on the mysterious situations that Wenders finds himself in. An uncanny view of a windowless back yard contains the perceptive comment "Sometimes the absence of a thing makes you so much more aware of it. Especially if it is something we take for granted. Like windows…" The book provides an excellent overview of Wenders' photographic works from 1983 to 2011 and offers an intriguing insight into the visual psyche of an acclaimed filmmaker.—JOHN MATHEWS

purchase book

JOHN MATHEWS is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

West and South, Photographs by John Mathews.
Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

West and South
Reviewed by John Mathews
____________________________
Charles Brittin West and South
Photographs by Charles Brittin. Edited by Kristine McKenna, Lorraine Wild, Roman Alonso, Lisa Eisner.
Hatje Cantz, 2011. Hardbound. 216 pp., 150 duotone illustrations, 9-1/2x13".

West and South begins in the late 1950s by looking at an idiosyncratic group of young artists, actors and writers living in Venice Beach, California. This ragtag bohemian community is drawn together by the artists Wally and Shirley Berman who feature throughout the series. Photographer Charles Brittin successfully captures the offbeat characteristics of this group -- their exuberance, individuality and playful sense of defiance. The images have an innocent and melancholy tone to them, as if the people within them have been captured in a fragile state of transition. The enigmatic nature of the Venice series is accentuated by Brittin's technique of interspersing haunting images of the area such as empty fairgrounds or black clad nuns wandering an otherwise deserted beach. However there is an underlying tension within the area, which is evident in a number of images showing the harassment and closure of beat venues by local authorities.

West and South, by Charles Brittin. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

West and South, by Charles Brittin. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

 In the second half of the book, Brittin dramatically shifts gear by transporting the viewer away from the pensive mood of the artist colony and into the turmoil of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. These images are the most dramatic within the book and graphically show activists struggling for racial equality within areas such as LA, Louisiana and Alabama. Brittin explores the poverty within these communities that motivated the formation of action groups such as CORE (The Congress of Racial Equality) and the Black Panther Party and documents the fear and aggression these groups were confronted with. A memorable example is an image from a 1964 CORE protest that shows a group of African Americans peacefully campaigning against segregated housing in Los Angeles while an intimidating group from the American Nazi party dressed in full Nazi military uniforms stage a counter protest. These two groups march in opposing directions and are separated only by a thin stretch of perfectly manicured lawn.

West and South, by Charles Brittin. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2011.

 Feeling an affinity with those on the margins of society, Brittin goes on a journey of self-discovery, developing his style and finding his voice through the beat generation of Venice. Brittin's approach and subject matter quickly mature as he takes a more politicised stance by documenting the civil rights movement. West and South is a testament to Brittin's growing awareness and is a poignant social document of turbulent times within the United States.—John Mathews

purchase book

_____________________________

John Mathews is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Dancing Night,Photographs by Yasuwo Tsuji. 
Published by Tosei-Sha, 2010.

 
The Dancing Night

Reviewed by John Mathews

__________________________ 

YASUWO TSUJI The Dancing Night

Photographs by Yasuwo Tsuji
Tosei-Sha, 2010. Hardbound. 96pp.,
57 black & white illustrations, 8x10-1/2."


The Dancing Night is made up of a series of dour, grainy, black and white cityscapes that are all shot at night. A majority of the images feature a range of excruciatingly mundane subject matter such as weeds, trash, leaves and asphalt. These micro urban terrain shots use very low or completely ground level angles, as if the photographer is literally crawling through the underbrush and city streets. There is an overbearingly dark atmosphere to these photographs that makes them difficult to engage with.

The Dancing Night, by Yasuwo Tsuji. Published by Tosei-Sha, 2010.

Scattered in between these ground level cityscapes are impromptu shots of lone figures that wander through desolate locations such as empty fairgrounds and stores. The hand held, shoot from the hip feel of these images creates a feeling that the photographer is stalking random people as he vainly attempts to find a coherent subject to latch onto. The fact that these figurative shots are predominantly taken from behind and never show any facial features also contributes to an atmosphere of detached desire and voyeurism. This ploy of isolating human forms is also evident in a small number of more intimate shots that feature a high-heeled shoe, a thrust out tongue and a nipple being caressed. These anonymous and sexualised images represent a sharp contrast to the stark and withdrawn cityscapes and add to the mood of underlying yearning within the book.

The Dancing Night, by Yasuwo Tsuji. Published by Tosei-Sha, 2010.

The Dancing Night, by Yasuwo Tsuji. Published by Tosei-Sha, 2010.

Like an imaginary detective novel The Dancing Night tries to instill a sense of dark mystery and urban isolation. It is as if the protagonist of this particular story is struggling in and out of consciousness and trying to claw their way home after some fracas or attempting to flee melancholy by plodding through the city with a disconnected air of abandonment. However the visual clues within this aimless and oppressive journey have a druggy haze to them that leaves the viewer disorientated. Overall the book feels like a meandering, disengaged, aloof and abstract nocturnal sketch.—John Mathews

purchase book 





John Mathews is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Christian Boltanski,Art by Christian Boltanski. By Catherine
Grenier and Daniel Mendelsohn. 
Published by Flammarion, New York, 2010.

Christian Boltanski

Reviewed by John Mathews

__________________________ 

CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI Christian Boltanski
Art by Christian Boltanski. By Catherine Grenier
and Daniel Mendelsohn.
Flammarion, New York, 2010. Hardbound.
212 pp., 150 color and black & white illustrations,
8-1/4x11".

Christian Boltanski takes a comprehensive look at the career of the prolific French artist from 1968 up until 2010. Generously illustrated in full colour, the publication delves into the many facets of Boltanski's practise, which include photography, sculpture, video, printed matter and archival assemblages. Boltanski is perhaps best known for his photo-based installations that invoke feelings of loss, fate, memory, guilt and death. Boltanski mines peripheral photographic sources such as family albums, school photos, detective magazines and obituary photographs and re-contextualises them. By re-photographing and enlarging these disposable or forgotten photographs they become iconic celebrations of memory, and like Warhol, the repetition of images gives the work momentum.

Works such as Dead Swiss from Boltanski's Archive series in the late 1980's show a series of anonymous and enlarged headshots that are laid out in a large grid and cover an entire room. The images are taken from obituaries in a Swiss newspaper and the sheer quantity and scale of the photographs turns the room into a poignant and sombre space that is used to reflect upon oblivion. Much of Boltanski's work is exhibited outside of conventional gallery or museum venues, in spaces such as churches, schools, cinemas and libraries, locations thematically chosen to amplify existing moods within the work.

Christian Boltanski, by Christian Boltanski. Published by Flammarion, 2010.

This retrospective book is one of the most up to date collections of Boltanski's work and it presents many of his definitive installation pieces from over the last thirty years. For those familiar with Boltanski's oeuvre the book could have included more of his artefacts, ephemera and research materials in order to mark it out from other publications on the artist. The book does have an appendix that contains a short collection of such materials like letters, invitations, catalogue covers and studio shots, which provide the viewer with a more intimate insight into Boltanski's practise, like two hand-written letters that Boltanski sent to sixty curators as a mail artwork in 1973. It is disappointing to discover that much of this text-based appendix material is teasingly left un-translated from the original French. Elaborating upon and including more of these lesser-known artefacts would have greatly enhanced the book.

Christian Boltanski, by Christian Boltanski. Published by Flammarion, 2010.

Christian Boltanski, by Christian Boltanski. Published by Flammarion, 2010.

Overall the book is well researched and provides an excellent insight into the many styles and approaches within Boltanski's work. The extensive essay by Catherine Grenier gets to the core of Boltanski's concepts and is peppered with a series of colourful and slightly cryptic stories that Boltanski uses to indirectly explain his work. The book also contains a lively interview between Boltanski and the critic Daniel Mendelsohn where they discuss the many themes within his work such as cultural identity, mortality and the nature of memory.—John Mathews

purchase book 


John Mathews is an artist and curator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.  

"This book explores a range of Angus McBean's black and white photography work from the 1930's to the 1950's during which time he documented countless landmark theatre and film productions within Britain for publicity purposes. Successfully using dramatic chiaroscuro lighting and imaginative props, McBean captured the styles and opulence of these productions. The introductory essay by Richard Traubner keeps a lively balance between the technical side of McBean's innovative approaches and his personal quirks."

---     from John Mathews's review of The Theatrical World of Angus McBean by Fredric Woodbridge Wilson in photo-eye Magazine.

Read the rest of the review here.

"Wien 2 is a collection of 140 photographs taken in Vienna, Austria between 1995 and 2009. Many of the images are exterior architectural views that deal with the process of urban regeneration. The photographs have an ambiguous sense of place because they avoid obvious landmarks and are for a large part untitled. Oberdanner uses a snapshot aesthetic that attempts to create a rhythm of seeing. Her approach is similar to a 19th century flâneur, wandering around cities as a detached observer in an effort to comprehend urban phenomena and modernity."

--- From John Mathews's review of Wien 2 by Annelies Oberdanner in photo-eye Magazine



Read the rest of the Wien 2 review in photo-eye Magazine.