Seven Stunning Photography Books to Buy This Month
From Mary McCartney’s study of the female nude to a new book from Alec Soth, here are the publications to order now
TEXTBelle Hutton
Twist by Camille Vivier, published by Art Paper Editions
Camille Vivier’s idiosyncratic studies of sculpture and the body are compiled in Twist, an Art Paper Editions-published monograph. The Paris-based photographer’s nude female subjects interact with nature, machinery and furniture, while Vivier’s still lifes capture public sculptures, objects and artworks. Threads of the surreal run through Vivier’s work, from her shots of half-burned wax figurine candles to a woman whose body is painted entirely in gold.
I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating by Alec Soth, published by MACK
For his new photo book, Alec Soth is stepping away from the “grand narratives” that have previously defined his practice, which took him on journeys across America, from Niagarato Sleeping by the Mississippi. I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating sees the American photographer create a series of intimate portraits in the homes of his subjects. “When I started this project, my only intention was to spend time with another person in a room, any room,” Soth says in a conversation with Hanya Yanagihara in the book. “But after I photographed Anna Halprin, I decided it should be in the subject’s home. This makes them more comfortable. It’s also more stuff to help reveal what might be going on inside of them.”
Only Human by Martin Parr, published by Phaidon
Coinciding with Martin Parr’s solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which opened earlier this month, Phaidon has published a book charting the British photographer’s career. Only Human charts Parr’s relationship with Britain and people of other countries throughout the world, and how he has captured their eccentricities throughout his career. Dover Street Market London has erected a special installation in honour of the book, that will be open from Thursday, March 14.
Body by Alexandria Coe and Kirk Truman
London-based artist Alexandria Coe’s sensual line drawings of the female form are compiled in a self-published book this month, featuring photography by Kirk Truman. Truman captures Coe in intimate black-and-white nude studies. Featuring an introduction by the author Olivia Sudjic, Body explores the relationship between different modes of capturing the female figure.
Museum of the Revolution by Guy Tillim, published by MACK and Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
Guy Tillim walked the roads of multiple African capital for his latest publication, Museum of the Revolution. Known for documenting the Africa of today, exploring its various current social and political climates via its streets, the South African image-maker travelled to the likes of Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dakar and Dar es Salaam, photographing its thoroughfares and the people populating them. The book itself takes its name from an establishment in Mozambique, which holds art pertaining to the country’s liberation from Portuguese colonial rule in 1875.
In Character by Anja Niemi, published by Thames & Hudson
Norwegian photographer Anja Niemi’s practice sees the genre of self-portraiture subverted. While Niemi is always the subject in her photographs, she inhabits different characters in front of the lens, and builds elaborate worlds to capture too. Her 2016 series She Could Have Been a Cowboy, for example, saw Niemi photographed as a would-be cowgirl in various cinematic settings, from the desert to a motel room. Now, Thames & Hudson publishes In Character, Niemi’s inaugural monograph, that looks at her unique practice of building worlds and characters in her photographs that ruminate on gender and identity.
Paris Nude by Mary McCartney, published by HENI
“There was an inherent agreement on what we wanted to capture – namely the human form its simplest, most authentic state – and there was also this element of innocence which I wanted to convey,” Mary McCartney told AnOther of her latest book, Paris Nude. “In the pictures you can tell how liberating the experience is for Phyllis, almost like a cleansing.” Paris Nude is a tender exploration of the female body in photography, and showcases one subject’s singular experience of posing nude. Comedian Phyllis Wang was captured in her Paris apartment by McCartney over two days, which resulted in a series of beautiful photographs published by HENI.
