Three photobooks (from my shelves)

[droj]

It only occurred to me lately that these three books could be seen as a group, although they remain various amongst themselves in method and exact intent.

I'll start with which might be the most obscure one, and end with the one which might be the most famous:

LEROS, Alex Majoli, Trolley 2002

Small Town Inertia, J A Mortram, Bluecoat 2017

Asylum of the Birds, Roger Ballen, Thames & Hudson, 2014

The images are all monochrome, and portray varieties of the human experience.

 

[myotis]

It only occurred to me lately that these three books could be seen as a group, although they remain various amongst themselves in method and exact intent.

I'll start with which might be the most obscure one, and end with the one which might be the most famous:

LEROS, Alex Majoli, Trolley 2002

Small Town Inertia, J A Mortram, Bluecoat 2017

Asylum of the Birds, Roger Ballen, Thames & Hudson, 2014

The images are all monochrome, and portray varieties of the human experience.

Don't have any of these books, but familiar with the work of Mortram. The other two are completely new to me, in spite of your order of fame.

I would have to work hard with Roger Ballen's work :-(

 

[benc98]

Jim Mortram is releasing a follow up book, Small Town Inertia 2 following a successful kickstarter campaign last year.

Can't say I'm familiar with the other two. Both at opposite ends of the spectrum, Majoli looks very typical of a magnum photographer and Roger Ballen is using staged photography. I had a quick look at Roger Ballen's work last night and my first impression is what the hell is this, a second look this morning was. much more rewarding - probably not my cup of tea though

 

[jamesev]

Top Three on mine i guess
Joey Lawrence - Ethiopia
Joey Lawrence - Guerrilla Fighters of Kurdistan
Federico Veronesi - One Life

 

[droj]

To me all three books are unflinching but represent compassion (for other humans).

Ballen's work is more mythological than prosaic.

I would have to work hard with Roger Ballen's work :-(

Does that imply that you find it wacky, or disturbing, or what?

 

[droj]

Top Three on mine i guess
Joey Lawrence - Ethiopia
Joey Lawrence - Guerrilla Fighters of Kurdistan
Federico Veronesi - One Life

Interesting that both those authors, bold and accomplished though they are, seem to glamourise their targets.

Which is also, of course, what many landscapists do ...

 

[jamesev]

Interesting that both those authors, bold and accomplished though they are, seem to glamourise their targets.

Which is also, of course, what many landscapists do ...

interesting interpretation that they are viewed to glamourise their targets, also that they're deemed to be targets

 

[myotis]

To me all three books are unflinching but represent compassion (for other humans).

Ballen's work is more mythological than prosaic.

Does that imply that you find it wacky, or disturbing, or what?

I'm not sure what it means, other than I don't immediately connect with them, but as you suggested the word "disturbing" this seems a good starting point.

Trying to work out how I should look at them takes me to the use of the word Asylum and the description from the web page:

Asylum of the Birds

Asylum of the Birds by Roger Ballen presents a unique collection of photographs taken within a secretive house in Johannesburg, where both human and animal inhabitants—especially birds—perform in a theatrical, sculptural interior crafted by Ballen. Blending still life and portraiture, these...

www.rogerballen.com

"...taken within a secretive house in Johannesburg, where both human and animal inhabitants—especially birds—perform in a theatrical, sculptural interior crafted by Ballen."

But I'm not sure that helped me any, I suspect I'm just not a very sophisticated consumer of art.

I enjoy the aesthetic/emotional/spiritual pleasure I get from photographs; I enjoy learning from photographs, and I enjoy learning about photographers. And although there is obviously a lot going on behind these photographs (though i think I see them more as multimedia art, than photographs), I'm just left wondering. However, I'm not drawn to them enough to make me want to learn more about the artist and the work, even though they suggest an interesting back story. They certainly aren't prosaic, and even though they are obviously clever and creative, I'm still left wondering how I process them.

You will gather I'm not sure how to explain my reaction.

Looking at the other photographs on the website, I realise I have heard of him before because I recognise the photographs from the Platteland. Project.

 

[droj]

Asylum of the Birds is to me a theatre of the psyche, endlessly engaging. I like that it exists in a world where so much is just about surface appearances, comfort and gloss.

 

[myotis]

Asylum of the Birds is to me a theatre of the psyche, endlessly engaging. I like that it exists in a world where so much is just about surface appearances, comfort and gloss.

I like that it exists as well, as I think it’s the "duty" of art to push the boundaries challenge our views of the world, and reveal worlds we may be unaware of.