We love photography books, which is kind of a given considering our founder once worked at Aperture, the esteemed publisher of fine art photo books. This year we are highlighting Loli Kantor’s “In Search of Mother;” John Singletary’s “Traces,” a conceptual amalgamation of video, found objects and created footage, and animation; Elizabeth Waterman’s “Candyland,” a stunningly erotic and surreal book about strippers, adult entertainers, fashion, and style; and Jonathan Moller’s “In Transit,” which explores travelers of all kinds, from different countries, with differing needs, budgets, and demands.

Loli Kantor’s “In Search of Mother”

I ment Loli Kantor years ago when I was reviewing portfolios at Houston FotoFest. We bonded over her work, which led to my discovery of what a wonderful human being she was. If there is one word I could use to describe her, it would be humanist. Her work is consistently brimming with empathy, yet as a Jew, her collective anguish at her past is clear to see, from photographs of German concentration camps to landscapes. “In Search of Mother” is Kantor’s search for her own history. Her mother died only two hours after giving birth to Loli, so she never had a chance to get to know her and develop a relationship.

For over a decade she plumbed what was left of her family archive, trying to piece together a visual, historical, and sometimes imaginary analysis of her roots. In his moving and eloquent preface, the eminent curator and photo historian Nissan Perez posits that, “Besides being a second-generation Holocaust survivor, having lived in so many different homes and environments and having suffered so many losses, Kantor is also a displaced person with roots in many geographical locations. Her art is a direct consequence and mirror of her particular life story, and it is affected by the tragedies and traumatic episodes she has lived through.”

“In Search of Mother” is quite moving, a gorgeously and sensitively seen examination of family history, both real and imagined. Beautifully printed and designed, it might seem to be about one thing, the search for history, but it reveals itself to be much more, an example of a photographer at the top of her game, utilizing the family archive as a jumping off point to dive into years and family lost to the ages. The memory is both real and invented, and above all, an elegant and moving visual response to understanding who the artist has become. Kantor is now a mother of three and grandmother of four, Kantor has in some ways become her mother, the matriarch of a new full-fledged related family structure, that will only grow in time. It’s also a reassuring to think of life continuing anew after the horrors of the Holocaust. This book is an affirmation of the power of archives, family, and photography. The insightful essay by Nissan Perez, the former senior curator of photography at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem is a rare gift - scholarly, elegant, and understanding. While you might think that this is a dour book, it’s anything but. This is due in part to Danna Heller’s lively conversation with Kantor. Heller is a London-based curator, and an Israeli native. We highly recommend Loli Kantor’s “In Search of Mother” for your photobook collection.

For more information about Loli Kantor’s “In Search of Mother” visit: http://www.lolikantor.com

Elizabeth Waterman “Candyland”

The first serious book about strippers that I encountered was by the late Marilyn Suriani Futterman, whose “Dancing Naked in the Material World,” was published in 1992 and is the gold standard in the genre. Her book of black-and-white photos of dancers in the Atlanta area was groundbreaking. As a woman, Marilyn had different access to her subjects than a male photogrqpaher would have, not just physically, but emotionally. Importantly, she understood and was empathetic to the forces that led to this unique career choice. Elizabeth Waterman shares this access; she knows her subjects, and “Candyland” serves as a sequel to her first book, “Moneygame,” which we reviewed a few years ago.That book was more involved with the job itself, and limited for the most part to dancers and strip clubs. By comparison, “Candyland” reads as much like a high-gloss, effervescent, fun and erotic fashion shoot, with everyone from Stormy Daniels to other porn stars joining in. While both books deal with adult entertainment, there is a wide gulf between dancers, grinding it out on stage before an audience vs. porn actors grinding it out in front a video crew, on a set, with full production staffs on hand.

Many of the images seem to pay homage to David LaChapelle, with slick sheen, high-production values, and playfulness. You get the definite sense that her subjects trust Waterman, especially in an industry that is notorious for the often abusive environments that its participants are placed in. This explains why so many womenin the adult film industry have turned to producing, directing, and controlling their own careers and content. Some of the most hard-bitten and cynical people that I’ve ever met have worked it the adult industry, and Waterman’s husband, photographer and filmmaker Michael Grecco, whose film “Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry” made clear the perils of working in pornography. This is a group of people who really have seen it all.

Waterman, to her credit, has encouraged the performers to participate in the shoots and how they choose be represented. Thus, this is as much a collaborative effort as a high-gloss look at the industry. The project began during the pandemic, and the final product, is gorgeously printed, designed, bound, and presents itself as a slick exuberant statement on the industry. While it’s also a personal look at the performers, it humanizes them in the process. You get the sense that they welcome the chance to step away from their performance identities and embrace their own vision of their potentials. Elizabeth Waterman’s “Candyland” is a great choice for anyone interested in glamour, sex, adult entertainment, or fashion. Ultimately, it’s a really fun book with serious intent underlying its structure.

For more information about Elizabeth Waterman’s “Candyland” visit: https://elizabeth-waterman-photography.myshopify.com/products/candyland-collectors-edition

John Singletary’s “Traces”

I met John Singletary when he was a student of mine at the now-defunct University of the Arts in Philadelphia. At that time, it was clear that he was very much interested in the creation of a theatrical approach to the photographic process. He went to far as to rent a venue and, working with a group of dancers and choreographers, captured thousands of images that were later woven together into shimmering statements on dance, movement, eroticism, and more. I find Singletary to be intellectually driven, which is to say that his work, while intensely visual and engaging, is built upon a solid base of theory, observation, history, and art history. His Anahata installation was visually and emotionally stunning. A series of large OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) video screens, in a darkened space, provided a mesmerizing, trance-like experience that was both sensual and spiritual at the same time.

In “Traces,” Singletary continues his experimentation with movement, dancers, still images, and created animation, and with a wonderfully written and performed soundtrack creates another site specific installation. It’s difficult to work such work into a 2D book form, but he succeeds. This attention to detail surfaces and fuels this project, Traces, which again utilizes multiple OLED screens. Unlike his Anahata project, which only utilized images that he personally created, “Traces” draws upon found footage, historical images, digital images, video, and stop-action animation, all woven together via digital video editing, animation, and audio software.

This is a slim volume, visually engaging, with thoughtful commentary. I should add that I contributed an essay to the book. With gatefold pages, this is a powerful commentary his approach to reality, with doses of historical imagery, newly created imagery both still and moving. John Singletary’s “Traces” comes highly recommended.

For more information on John Singletary’s “Traces” visit: https://daylightbooks.org/products/traces
 

Jonathan Moller’s “In Transit”

“In Transit” is Jonathan Moller’s latest book, and combines a careful eye, wit, and a questioning of how we travel. Not just the mode, but how traveling itself impresses its cost upon us. Anyone who has survived a long day of travel can recount the myriad of insults, from the cattle car approach that many airlines and trains impose, to the false promise of advertising about how glamorous travel is.

I’m a serious traveller, and have spent innumerable hours in uncomfortable locations waiting for trains, planes, automobiles, ships, and more. Once ensconced in a seat, there is no guarantee that you will be comfortable, or that some energetic little kid won’t be kicking the back of your seat for six hours. Moller’s reputation is as an activist documentary journalist photographer. And, unlike some of his earlier volumes, this book doesn’t have an overt, tightly controlled narrative. “In Transit” is a looser approach; there isn’t a limit to the type of travel – everything from busses, airplanes, canoes, cars, and trains, and the images are global in nature and no location is off-limits.

In the essay I wrote for the book, I stated, “His projects aren’t only a romantic look into the past, either. For every photograph depicting a simpler time, such as his 2001 image of three women from Sacapulas, Guatemala walking along the banks of the Chixoy river with baskets on their heads, there are scores of images showing people behind computer screens. He enjoys clever wordplay, with images, words, and ironic signage whose humor underscores the documentary weight.”

The book is available in English and Spanish, and there are many images to ponder, as you reflect on your own journeys. His activist role emerges in the images, where you are just as likely to see expensive and luxurious modes of travel, as you are to see folks traveling by the side of a river, carrying their goods. We highly recommend Jonathan Moller’s “In Transit” this holiday season.

For more information on Jonathan Moller’s “In Transit” visit, https://www.jonathanmoller.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IN_TRANSITJ_Moller_eng_esp.pdf

Harris Fogel and Nancy Burlan, Posted 12/10/2022