CV120 - Matt Johnston, Photobooks & : A critical companion to the contemporary medium — Louis Perreault
Ciel variable 120 - Figures of Affirmation (Summer 2022)
Readings (Individual article, digital version)
Matt Johnston, Photobooks & : A critical companion to the contemporary medium
Onomatopee, Eindhoven, Pays-Bas, 2021, 210 p.
— Louis Perreault
In reviewing Photobooks &, Louis Perreaut takes the opportunity to call for a critical examination of the photobook genre, which has seen a period of effervescence for the last two “dizzying decades.” Matt Johnson’s essay not only fits within this context, it also provides an accurate guide. “In accessible language,” Louis Perreault writes, “he paints a picture of the ‘ecology” of the photobook; at the same time, he raises the contradictions inherent to the medium and suggests ways that its practices and economy can be perpetuated.” Although some of Johnson’s observations may be discouraging, Perreault hails the passages devoted to the future of the photobook, including clues to reading it, a plan for “a healthier relationship with its ecology,” and the hope of cultural mediation.
Details
Language : English & French
Digital Version : PDF, 0.4 Mb
Bibliographical Notice
Louis Perreault, “Matt Johnston, Photobooks & : A critical companion to the contemporary medium” in Ciel variable, No. 120, Montreal, 2022, p.99-100.