Photobooks of 2015: Ramón Reverté

Another nude “typology”. This time with a really unexpected situation that drives to yet another “dadaist typology”. The kind of book only the Dutch can do.

2) In the shadow of the pyramids – Laura El-Tantawy

 

A journey thorough the Arab Spring with a different light given that the author is from Egypt, a woman and that the book comes with a personal side story in a cleverly reddish stylish proposal.

3) Ama Lur – Jon Cazenave

Arguably the best photobook published in Spain in 2015. “A visual repertoire of the Basque people’s idiosyncrasy and aesthetics, in an attempt to unravel his homeland’s political intricacy from an anthropological perspective”.

 

4) Cabanagem  André Penteado.

 

A Brazilian book brilliantly conceptualize, designed and printed on “The Cabanagem revolution” that took place in the Brazilian amazon between 1835 and 1840 where 30,000 people were killed. The revolutionaries seized power after killing the Governor and took power for around a year.

5) No lugar do outro – Claudia Andujar

 

A must. A new light on the first works of this Hungarian photographer that became a photographer in Brazil and is well known for his work on the Yanomami Indians and for his photobook masterpiece “Amazonia”. This book shows Claudia’s early works from the 60’s and 70’s.

 

6) Deleted scene – Yury Toroptsov

 

It all fits perfect in this book. Brilliantly designed by Dutch graphic designers Kummer & Herrman, Deleted scene takes us to Eastern Siberia in search of a father gone to soon. In a mixture of deadpan and journalistic style Yury Toroptsov makes up a story featuring Akira Kurosawa.

7) Immerse – Daisuke Yokota

 

Abstract and nude black and white and color images in a great edition with the distinguish style of Yokota’s photobooks.

8) Archipelago – Matthew Porter

 

In search of a new storytelling style Matthew drives us thorough a sequence of images positioned as islands in the see of pages. A journey “into an interior, upriver, towards an enigmatic hinterland”, whatever that means.

9) Songbook – Alec Soth

 

 

Again and again Alec delivers. This time with images (some of them) we’ve already seen in 7 LBM Dispatches newspapers. In Songbook we are taken to a journey to “community life in the country” where simple situations create unexpected photos. Quoting David Campany, “on the open road” once again with Alec.

10) No photos – Tiane Doan na Champassak

 

 

Tiane is a great photobookmaker. The subject of these photos (sex workers in the red-light district of Amsterdam) is nothing new in the work of Tiane but again she surprised us with a photo book well done conceptually.

A selection of books from the Photobooks of 2015 feature can be purchased here.