Only when someone is looking at you, then you have a portrait
Many books and many photo-book aficionado’s were present at the latest Synthesis on the 2nd of October enjoying a small but richly varied selection of mainly Dutch portrait photo books at the space of Synthesis Gallery. To tie in with the ongoing exhibition ‘Stories with Tales’ by Krasimir Andonov, some books and selected portrait photos were focusing on animals such as: ‘A Terra’ and ‘Ao’ by Charlotte Dumas.
Related to this subject Dutch curator Henk Groenendijk presented books on portrait photography, that show the ongoing search for new viewpoints and the positions various photographers take toward that subject. Some of which are clear subjects of the Dutch Identity. A movement of which an aspect is the disarmament of the person in his environment so that the individual in the picture can remain himself. A good example of this approach are the portrait photos of Dana Lixenberg and later Rineke Dijkstra, Charlotte Dumas and the trendsetting fashion photography of Blommers & Schumm. This strategy has been successfully applied in both free and fashion photography from the mid 90ties on. However already in the mid fifties Johan van der Keuken en Ed van der Elsken set a standard for this informal and intimate conceptual approach
Henk Groenendijk is the curator of Test Press Books that took place this year for the third time at KO-OP artspace from 12*- 22 October. As a former Gerrit Rietveld professor at the department of Graphic Design and initiator of the >Rietveld & Sandberg Library Publication Archive< he has always been busy with books.
List of the presented books:
Charlotte Dumas – A Terra > Van Zoetendaal, 2023
Charlotte Dumas – Ao (blue) > Fw Books, 2021
Johan van der Keuken – Wij Zijn 17 (We Are 17) > Limart 1955/2022
Johan van der Keuken – Les Copains (Friends) > Van Zoetendaal, 2022
Johan van der Keuken – Quatorze Julliet > Van Zoetendaal, 2010
Dana Lixenberg – Polaroids 54/59/79 > Roma publications, 2022
Dana Lixenberg – Tupac / Biggie; the photoshoot for Vibe magazine > Roma publications, 2018
Dana Lixenberg – United States > Artimo, 2001
Petra Stavast – S75 > Roma publications 2022
Wanda Teurlinx – Androids & Crayons > Van Zoetendaal 2022
Basalt – Basalt portrait photo collection > Van Zoetendaal 1997
Anuschka Blommers & Niels Schumm – Antia and 127 Other Portraits > Valiz, 2006
Marlene Dumas – Cycladic Blues > Roma books 2022
Ed van der Elsken – Feest (Feast) > NAi010 2023
others books & Magazines
Julie Peeters – Bill Magazine issue 4 > Julie Peeters 2020/22:
Ari Marcopoulos – Zines > Aperture/Roma books 2023
Mark van der Brink – The Minox Files > Van Zoetendaal, 2021
What They Say: Historical Photo books by Woman 1843/1999 > 10X10 Photobooks 2022
Nicolas Floc’s – Initium Maris > Roma Books 2023
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all books are part of Test Press Books #3 at KO-OP, Sofia / 12*-22 Oct 2023