Photobooks, zines, reviewed, etc...

Myriorama - Estelle Hanania

I’ve been a fan of Estelle’s work for a while now, and after some unsuccessful attempts to get hold of her work in print form (e.g. shops having sold out after I placed my order) I was delighted to see this publication made available.

Like everything else published by Gottlund Verlag, the book itself is a work of art. The cover is letterpress printed and you can see where the ink has run through to the inside of the front cover on my copy. It lends a certain tactility to the book that engages you, before you’ve even got to the photographs.

The images in this book deal with costume and ritual, and in the same way that these can transport us through time and space, so the book achieves the same in its portrayal of these concepts.

I especially like the shots in which the illusion is spoilt - by trainers showing from underneath the costume, or the photo where the man has taken the mask off to smoke - because these apparent flaws in the façade only heighten the air of surrealism that exists throughout the book.

I love the mysticism that Estelle conjures up in these images, and I can only imagine what it must be like to stumble upon one of these rituals being performed, especially in a car park of all places.

This is a really strong set of images, presented in the typically high Gottlund Verlag tradition, and a wonderful addition to my collection - and yours too?