josef chladek

on photobooks and books

Joselito Verschaeve - If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word, Void, 2022, Athens

 

Softcover, edition of 750 copies.

“The book presents a measured and enigmatic edit of black and white images – of bodies and skin, rocks and the moon, landscapes and birds. Each image hints at different stories, but as a whole, the photobook resists presenting a singular narrative.” (Joanna Cresswell — British Journal of Photography)

Joselito Vershaeve interweaves black and white photographs of both day-to-day encounters and staged fiction from archives of the artist's own work, to create visual short stories which defy conventional interpretation.

The recurring motif of the bird in many forms—as an illustration, origami creation, in-flight or emerging from sand—is interspersed with images of textured rocks, the moon and paths which lead and disappear off the page. The human presence in the images is slight—figures veiled, melding into the landscape or moving out of the frame, a grooved hand echoing the natural formation of rocks—all bit parts in the narrative.

The images have been drawn from the artist’s ever-accumulating archive, and have been selected and arranged in a rhythmic pattern, mimicking the act of writing a poem or a short novel.

“My work leans on day-to-day encounters that are or turn narrative driven. With the idea of building an archive which can fit different themes while maintaining a certain interchangeability. With this archive gradually growing it’s possible to move around images and create new narratives.” (Joselito Verschaeve)

Drawing upon an aesthetic born from surrealism, the project hints at personal fascinations, alongside visions of dystopia feeding upon the portent of current threats and events. Verschaeave is interested in the idea of ‘magical realism’ and the addition of something ‘extra’ into the common-place and the mundane. Taking the leap and transplanting the genre from literary fiction into black and white photography—the visual language with past associations with documentary and truth telling— Verschaeave layers a veil of poetry over the every day.

https://void.photo/store/if-i-call-stones-blue-it-is-because-blue-is-the-precise-word

Pages: 80
Place: Athens
Year: 2022
Publisher: Void
Size: 22 x 27 cm (approx.)







Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...

Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...

Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...

Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...

Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...

Joselito Verschaeve If I call stones blue it is because b...


Sample page 1 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 1 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 2 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 2 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 3 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 3 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 4 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 4 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 5 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 5 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 6 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 6 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 7 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 7 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 8 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 8 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 9 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 9 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 10 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 10 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 11 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 11 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 12 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 12 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 13 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 13 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 14 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 14 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 15 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 15 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 16 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 16 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 17 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 17 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 18 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 18 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 19 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 19 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 20 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 20 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

Sample page 21 for book Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word

Sample page 21 for book "Joselito Verschaeve – If I call stones blue it is because blue is the precise word", josefchladek.com

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Softcover, edition of 750 copies.

“The book presents a measured and enigmatic edit of black and white images – of bodies and skin, rocks and the moon, landscapes and birds. Each image hints at different stories, but as a whole, the photobook resists presenting a singular narrative.” (Joanna Cresswell — British Journal of Photography)

Joselito Vershaeve interweaves black and white photographs of both day-to-day encounters and staged fiction from archives of the artist's own work, to create visual short stories which defy conventional interpretation.

The recurring motif of the bird in many forms—as an illustration, origami creation, in-flight or emerging from sand—is interspersed with images of textured rocks, the moon and paths which lead and disappear off the page. The human presence in the images is slight—figures veiled, melding into the landscape or moving out of the frame, a grooved hand echoing the natural formation of rocks—all bit parts in the narrative.

The images have been drawn from the artist’s ever-accumulating archive, and have been selected and arranged in a rhythmic pattern, mimicking the act of writing a poem or a short novel.

“My work leans on day-to-day encounters that are or turn narrative driven. With the idea of building an archive which can fit different themes while maintaining a certain interchangeability. With this archive gradually growing it’s possible to move around images and create new narratives.” (Joselito Verschaeve)

Drawing upon an aesthetic born from surrealism, the project hints at personal fascinations, alongside visions of dystopia feeding upon the portent of current threats and events. Verschaeave is interested in the idea of ‘magical realism’ and the addition of something ‘extra’ into the common-place and the mundane. Taking the leap and transplanting the genre from literary fiction into black and white photography—the visual language with past associations with documentary and truth telling— Verschaeave layers a veil of poetry over the every day.

https://void.photo/store/if-i-call-stones-blue-it-is-because-blue-is-the-precise-word

Pages: 80
Place: Athens
Year: 2022
Publisher: Void
Size: 22 x 27 cm (approx.)