Photobooks of 2016: Jeffrey Ladd

Diane Arbus – In the Beginning.
The last decade of Diane Arbus’ life and work is so celebrated and distinguished that it comes as a surprise that only a handful of her early 35mm work has ever been seen. A prequel to the now classic Diane Arbus Monograph from 1972, Diane Arbus: In the Beginning completes the story of this remarkable artist by filling in the “first chapter” of her artistic pursuit.

Marie-Isabel Vogel & Alain Rappaport – Maximillian Stejskal: Folklig Idrott.
A brilliant study of “folk athletics,” which were physical challenges and games played by Swedish farmers living in Finland in the 1930s-40s.

Alejandro Cartagena – Santa Barbara Return Jobs to the US.
A fitting book for our current US political climate.

Lotus – Max Pinkers & Quinten De Bruyn.
Pinkers’ photographic style that mixes documentary and fiction, now explores transsexuals in Thailand that questions identity of not just the subjects, but the role of “documentary” photography itself.

Mark Steinmetz – Fifteen Miles To K-Ville.
K-Ville is a fictional place somewhere between Tennessee and Georgia that Steinmetz has conjured through his sheer prowess as a photographer. For those familiar with his work, these photographs made between 1993 and 1996 will feel like new discoveries that surprise and delight in photographic territory you thought you knew well.

Dan Boardman & Aspen Mays – Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going, Why?.
A complexly constructed book (or books!) that weave parallel narratives of the Challenger space shuttle explosion, family travel photos and documents of Halley’s Comet.

Yto Barrada – A Guide to Fossils for Forgers and Foreigners/ A Guide to Trees for Governors and Gardeners.
This slip-cased set presents two books (A Guide to Trees… was featured in Parr/Badger Vol.3) in which Barrada acts as a faux guide through Morocco’s fossil trade and city planning.

Katrien de Blauwer – Stills.
The deceptive simplicity of the Dutch collage artist Katrien de Blauwer can hold its own regardless of the package, but llKKI Book’s attentive presentation of her work in Stills is extraordinary. This work is a dialogue between De Blauwer and musician Danny Clay from which springs both collage and sound work – each that can be approached either individually or as a coupling – that offer multiple experiences.

David Fathi – Wolfgang.
Fathi delves into the recently uploaded visual archive of the Cern physics research lab to explore the presence and effect of acclaimed physicist Wolfgang Pauli.

John MacLean – Hometowns.
MacLean pays tribute to his artistic heroes by visiting their hometowns and infusing a bit of their character into his images.

Jeffrey Ladd is an American photographer born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania in 1968. His work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, Oklahoma City Musuem of Art, International Center of Photography, Soros Foundation’s Open Society Institute, Museum of the City of New York among others. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

Images – top: Mark Steinmetz – Fifteen Miles to K-Ville, below: John Maclean – Hometowns, Diane Arbus – In The Beginning