Photobooks of 2021: Linda Zhengová
Photobooks are a great resource, especially during the pandemic as they provide a space to immerse ourselves into someone else’s world. Like a small-scale intimate exhibition that is available at a particular moment only for us to see…
I was invited by Julian to curate a selection of photobooks that caught my eye during the course of 2021. As an editor and photographer, I came across many books throughout the year, yet there were only a few that genuinely moved me. I have, therefore, decided to select my top 5 photobooks that I thought not only showcase aesthetically beautiful images but rather pursue something stronger, be it emotional intensity, existential quests, or just unconventional representations of daily life.
I will not prolong this further and delve into my favourite photobooks of 2021.
Figure 1 - Courtesy of Theo Elias
Theo Elias – Red/January 2021 (Self-Published)
Elias’s self-published monograph captures the secluded Swedish landscape during the coldest month of the year – January. There are apparent contrasts and metaphors present in the book and the colour red tends to predominate. Submerged in these intensive hues, one immediately gets to feel the atmosphere through the images. Through his use of experimental analogue photography processes alongside thermal and trail cameras, he manages to compose an intriguing publication dealing with the themes of intimacy and existence where both personal and universal narratives intertwine.
Figure 2 - Courtesy of AKAAKA-sha and inri
RongRong & inri – Symposion About Love 1996-2000 (AKAAKA-sha)
‘Symposion About Love 1996-2000’ is a comprehensive collection of inri’s works composed from four series prior to meeting her partner RongRong – “Selfportrait”, “Maximax”, “Gray Zone” and “1999 Tokyo” that are now conceptually connected by the theme of love. The photographs presented are dark, yet colourful having both grotesque and performative elements. Her representation of bodies in alien-like poses and greatly expressive gestures in combination with flowers and flowy kimonos provide a great insight into Inri’s innovative approach to the medium.
Figure 3 - Courtesy of Art Paper Editions and Rita Lino
‘Replica’ presents a futuristic vision that aims to showcase the body and the model as a pure image without any prescribed inherent identity, escaping the expectations of the self today. The publication can be considered as a detailed study of the female body which is liberatingly de-sexualized, rather its form and shape are put into the forefront, having an almost dehumanizing effect. Lino’s self-portraiture is controlled, her body is presented in a machine-like manner, exposing the questioning of her role in front and behind the camera.
Figure 4 - Courtesy of Dienacht Publishing and Dinaya Waeyaert
Dinaya Waeyaert – Come Closer (Dienacht Publishing)
Waeyaert has now published her second photobook ‘Come Closer’ which presents a love story of two women – Dinaya and Paola. The combination of Dinaya’s photographs with Paola’s written notes create a deeply intimate and diaristic publication, showing both the couple’s ups and downs. ‘Come Closer’ additionally includes numerous hand-made elements which add up to the book’s authenticity and personal nature. Through the presentation of their four-year relationship, we get a glimpse of their close-knit world.
Figure 5 - Courtesy of Stanley & Barker and Jim Goldberg
Jim Goldberg – Fingerprint (Stanley & Barker)
Jim Goldberg is known for his seminal project ‘Raised by Wolves’ in which he documented the troubled youth of California between the years 1985-1995. Goldberg not only portrayed their harsh reality filled with addiction, abuse, and violence, but also invited his subjects to write their thoughts, dreams, and desires on top of the photographs, giving voice to those who often remain on the fringes of mainstream society.
Now, after 26 years, the photographer decided to publish previously unpublished Polaroids from the project which were originally gifts for the people he photographed. In the end, the combination of text, imagery, and way of printing function as vehicles to arouse emotions and empathy in the audience – something quite rare to witness…
Linda Zhengová is a Czech photographer and writer currently based in the Netherlands. At the moment, she is editorially contributing to GUP Magazine and Discarded Magazine. She is also the curator of XXX - a new section of Discarded Magazine showcasing the vision of contemporary erotic photography. In photography, she uses the medium to challenge the existing boundaries and taboos surrounding the themes of gender, sexuality, and trauma.