Photobooks of 2023: Albarrán Cabrera

Marking Time by Chris McCaw, Datz Press

Photography is a very limited and "democratic" medium. It means that your creative possibilities are restricted by the limits of the photographic tools and since there are many people who practice it, it is difficult to find a job that is outside the norm. Using the medium in a non-standard way and the philosophical implications of it is the most interesting characteristic of Chris’ work for us.


Monument by Trent Parke, Stanley/Barker

After all these years of black and white street photography practice, is it still possible to achieve a fresh approach? Well, the answer is yes and the proof is Monument  by Trent Parke.


Liquid Night by Bill Henson, Stanley/Barker

We must say that our opinion is a little bit biased here as we are big fans of Henson's work. If this is also your case, the work presented in this book showcases pure night street photography in the mysterious and always recognizable Henson's style.


Into the Silence by Yasuhiro Ogawa, Blue Lotus Editions / Photo Editions

We started to follow the work of this author in 2008 after his publication Slowly Down the River. It was a fabulous discovery. Now, this new book also resonates in us as strong as the first one. Ogawa is representing incredibly well with his images the feeling we had in our last trip to Tōhoku.


Metropolitan Melancholia by Sarah Van Rij & David Van Der Leeuw, Kominek Books

We are not only attracted to the abstract work of Sarah Van Rij and David Van Der Leeuw but we also love the book design and edition. Inspiring and nicely designed from the cover to the end.

Albarrán Cabrera are the photographers Anna Cabrera (b. 1969, Sevilla) and Angel Albarrán (b. 1969, Barcelona) who work together as a collaborative duo based in Barcelona. Albarrán Cabrera see their photographs as objects in their own right, focusing not only on the image itself, but also on its physical manifestation as printed copies. They personally handcraft their prints in their studio using a wide range of processes and materials either by inventing new techniques or by experimenting with established ones expanding their “photographic syntax”.  As Albarrán Cabrera have pointed out “this wide range of processes and materials serve a single purpose: to give us far more parameters to play with the viewer’s imagination than a mere image. The texture, colour, finishing, tones – even the border – of a print can provide the viewer with valuable information.”

Images: 
top - Liquid Night by Bill Henson, Stanley/Barker
below - Into the Silence by Yasuhiro Ogawa, Blue Lotus Editions / Photo Editions