Photobooks of 2017: Laia Abril

Mathieu Asselin – Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation
Mathieu Asselin’s acclaimed first book is composed of some of the elements that I think are most interesting in a book: research, rigor, subjectivity, lateral thinking, conceptual links, personal stories and above all, courage.

Donald Weber – War Sand
This self-published opus from Donald Weber, collects all his skills as a researcher, photographer and artist and sends us on a journey through D-Day, where he invites us to explore hundreds of angles, perspectives and sensations for a piece of our history as society.

Rob Hornstra – Man Next Door
Rob Hornstra’s latest book is one of his most intimate stories; a sharp yet sensitive documentary about the turbulent life of his neighbor Kid; the combination of a multi-layered history and ingenious design sheds light and dignity on those who we easily forget.

Sanne De Wild – The Island of the Colorblind
A journey of sensations and emotions as Sanne De Wilde puts color and light into the story of the Micronesian island of Pingelap where more than 5% of the population cannot see colour.

Henk Wildschut – Ville de Calais
Henk Wildschut’s book is not just a book. It is a historic, social and political testimony of a key moment in our current history; a rigorous, methodical piece of exhausting documentation and perseverance which confronts us with one of the most serious and most avoided problems of the modern world.

Álvaro Laiz – The Hunt
With great doses of anthropologic and journalistic investigation, Álvaro Laiz beautifully and delicately documents a fantastical story. An immersive dream of memories, fantasy, folklore and reality across the wild land of Taiga.

Marcelo Brodsky – 1968. The Fire of Ideas
Artist Marcelo Brodsky decided to re-interpret archive photography of the 1968 revolts, giving a second life and a new circulation to these unique, political and social images, at a time that they resonate with all of us.

Rafal Milach – The First March of Gentlemen

Rafal Milach’s artist book plays the dance of fictional narration based on real stories, using vernacular dichotomies and collages comparing history throughout the narrative. Visually more experimental and powerful than ever – as well as in its consistently impeccable design; it gives us a lesson in learning from resistance to authority. It could not be more politically relevant.

Laia Abril is a multi-disciplinary artist working in photography, text, video and sound.

Images: top – Donald Weber – War Sand, below – Rob Hornstra – Man Next Door, Álvaro Laiz – The Hunt