josef chladek

on photobooks and books

Andreas H. Bitesnich - Deeper Shades #03 Paris, Room5Books, 2013, Wien

Hardcover, with obi band, edition of 960 copies, signed. 120 black & white photographs.

The third volume of Andreas H. Bitesnich's urban exploration series 'Deeper Shades' is dedicated to that most iconic and romantic of European cities, Paris. For Bitesnich though, this idyllic view of Paris is '...too simplistic: it is pulsating, sexual and rough.'

Bitesnich has managed to create a unique vision of this 'other Paris'. While the most familiar Paris landmarks do make an appearance in the book, Bitesnich shifts them from center-stage to being just another part of the greater landscape. This is at times disorientating, as images of the city become disturbingly alien. The bustling Metro, or the elegant Tuileries become eerily empty spaces, the images evoking scenes from Hitchcock or Welles. This is vital to Bitesnich's philosophy of looking '..behind the velvet curtain.' As with Bitesnich's other two volumes, these dark images are often tinged with humour, either within the frame, or by the juxtaposing of images. His vision is perhaps not quite as apocalyptic as it at first appears.

Compulsory for any admirer of Bitesnich's travel photography (or indeed anyone who thought they knew Paris), Deeper Shades #03 is Bitesnich's '...most personal volume to date', and one can certainly sense the thrill he describes in creating it. It alternately surprises, entertains, revolts, amuses. It is an homage to a new friend.

Available at Andreas' site.

Pages: 96
Place: Wien
Year: 2013
Publisher: Room5Books
Size: 24 x 32 cm (approx.)