Revealed! The photobooks in the running for the Arles Prix du Livre 2018

Photobooks have been booming for the last ten years or so but one prize has been there for the last 49 years – Les Prix du Livre at Arles, which was set up at the same time as the Rencontres d’Arles festival. With its long history and prestigious jury, which is this year overseen by FOAM director Marloes Krijnen, the Prix du Livre is one of the best-respected in photography.

Three Prix are up for grabs in three categories this year – the Historical Book Award, the Author Book Award, and the Photo-text Book Award, each of which come with a €6000 prize to be shared between the photographers and their publishers. The books are on show at Arles until 23 September, and the winners will be announced in the opening week.

39 books have been nominated in the Author Book Award, 17 in the Photo-text Book Award, and 15 in the Historical Book Award category – and many of the projects will be familiar to regular BJP readers. See below for the full lists, and links to BJP‘s previous articles on the works.

Since 2015 Arles has also run a Dummy Book Award, which is supported by the LUMA Foundation and which offers one winner a budget of €25,000 to publish their book. This year  20 books have been shortlisted for the prize, including projects by Michal Siarek, Federico Clavarino, and Lewis Bush. See below for more details of these dummies; the winner will be announced this week at the festival.

https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en/prix-du-livre https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en/luma-rencontres-dummy-book-award-arles-2018

Spread from Man next door by Rob Hornstra, self-published. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award

The 17 shortlisted books for the Photo-text Book Award:
Max Pinckers, Margins of Excess, self-published
Andrea Botto, KA-BOOM The Explosion of Landscape, Editions Bessard
Vasantha Yogananthan, Exile, Chose Commune
Rob Hornstra, Man next door, self-published
Amaury da Cunha, Demeure, H’Artpon Editions
André Principe, Non-fiction, Pierre Von Kleist Editions/Centro Cultural Vila Flor
Anne de Gelas, Mère et fils, Editions Loco
Louis Quail, Big Brother, Dewi Lewis Publishing
Laia Abril, On abortion, Dewi Lewis Publishing
Soham Gupta, Angst, Akina Books
Anne Golaz, Corbeau, MACK.
Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, War Primer 2, MACK
Karina Nimmerfall, Indirect Interviews with Women, Camera Austria
Chloe Dewe Mathews, In Search of Frankenstein – Mary Shelley’s Nightmare, Kodoji Press
Saul Leiter, It Don’t Mean A Thing, The Gould Collection
Nina Berman, An autobiography of Miss Wish, Kehrer
Marcelo Brodsky, 1968: The Fire of Ideas, Editorial RM/La Marca Editora/Estudio Madalena/Kaunas Photography Gallery/FotoGallery

Spread from Atlas of Forms by Eric Tabuchi, published by Poursuite. Nominated for the Author Book Award

The 39 shortlisted books for the Author Book Award:
Katrien de Blauwer, When I Was a Boy, Libraryman
François-Xavier Courreges, Vague souvenir, Jean Boite Editions
Benoît Fougeirol, (ZUS), X Artists’ Books
Sebastián Bruno, Duelos y quebrantos, Ediciones Anomalas
Antoine d’Agata, Manifesto, Studio Vortex
Stephen Gill, Night Procession, Nobody Books
Manfred Willmann, Lightning Flash & Gentian Blue, Fotohof Edition
Tandia B Permadi, Coming Home, Unobtanium Photobooks
Daniel Blaufuks, Attempting Exhaustion, Akio Nagasawa Publishing
Olga Gushkova, A Google Wife, Dalpin/Fiebre Photobook
Nicolo Degiorgis, Blue as gold, Rorhof
Laurence Rasti, There Are No Homosexuals in Iran, Édition Patrick Frey
Laurence Aegerter, Photographic Treatment, Dewi Lewis Publishing
Wang Yishu, Borderless, Jiazazhi Press
Pixy Liao, Experimental Relationship : Vol.1 (2007 – 2017), Jiazazhi Press
Rebecca Topakian, Infra, Classe Moyenne Editions
Giorgio Di Noto, The Iceberg, Édition Patrick Frey
Alix Marie, Bleu, Morel Books
Roman Pyatkovka, You Wait, Red Zet
Morgan Ashcom, What the Living Carry, MACK
Bertien Van Manen, I Will be Wolf, MACK
John Divola, Vandalism, MACK
Susan Lipper, Domesticated Land, MACK
Emilie Traverse, Nuit Blanche, Paien
Sandrine Lopez, Moshe, L’Editeur du Dimanche
Alejandro Cartagena, Santa Barbara shame on us, Skinnerboox
Sambasiva Rao Patchineelam, Samba Shiva, Revista Zum/Instituto Moreria Salles
Daniel Shea, 43–35 10th Street, Kodoji Press
Titus Simoens, For Brigitte, Art Paper Editions
Jurgen Malefeyt, Lips, Art Paper Editions
Vladimir Svetlovs, Rigas Licis, Orbita
Thomas Mailaender, The Fun Archaeology, RVB Books
Tiane Doan Na Champassak, Censored, RVB Books
Clément Lambelet, Two Donkeys in a War Zone, RVB Books
Jessica Backhaus, A trilogy, Kehrer
Giulia Mangione, Halfway Mountain, Journal
Morten Andersen, Fast cities, Journal
Rafal Milach, The First March of Gentlemen, GOST
Eric Tabuchi, Atlas of forms, Poursuite

From Gold and Silver by Luce Lebart, published by RVB Books/Institut Canadien de la Photographie. Nominated for the Historical Book Award

The 15 shortlisted books for the Historical Book Award:
Diane Arbus, A box of ten photographs, Aperture
Guy Bourdin, Untouched, Steidl
Clément Cheroux and Clara Bouveresse, Magnum manifeste, Actes Sud
Susan Bright, Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography, Aperture
Various, The Hobbyist, Spector Books
Luce Lebart, Gold and Silver, RVB Books/Institut Canadien de la Photographie
Raoul Hausmann, Cécile Bargues, Raoul Hausmann – Photographies 1927 – 1936, Le Point du Jour – Centre d’Art Éditeur/Jeu de Paume/Musée Departmental d’Art Contemporain de Rouchechouart
Arwed Messmer, RAF. No Evidence / Kein Beweis, Hatje Cantz
Julius Neubronner, The Pigeon Photographer, Rorhof
Heinrich Riebesehl, People in the Elevator, Spector Books
Jean-Maurice Rouquette, Denis Barrau, Philippe Dumoulin, Rencontres d’Arles les débuts 1974-1982 : Quand une réunion d’amis devient un rendez-vous international, Geimo Creation
August Sander, Persécutés, persécuteurs, des hommes du XXe siècle, Steidl/Memorial de la Shoah
Jakob Tuggener, Books and films, Steidl/Fotosiftung Schweiz, Jakob Tuggener Foundation
Sory Sanlé, Studio Volta Photo, Yossi Milo Gallery/Tezeta
Rimaldas Viksraitis, At the edge of the know world, Kaunas Photography Gallery/Zephyr – Raum Für Fotografie

From Alexander © Michal Siarek, shortlisted for the LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award

The 20 shortlisted books for the LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award:
Mario Capriotti, 42.334N, 13.334E
Max Ernst Stockburger, アメリカ(Amerika)
Michal Siarek, Alexander
Martin Magtorn, Daddy Cool
Angeniet Berkers, Echo
Siska Vandecasteele, Forain, Kaffers en Boerin
Federico Clavarino, Hereafter
Piergiorgio Casotti and Emanuele Brutti, Index G
Alexandre Guirkinger, Lost Island
Vittorio Mortarotti and Anush Hamzehian, Most Were Silent
Kevin Kunstadt, One-Car-Bazaar
Marina Gadonneix, Phenomenes
Alfonso Moral Rodriguez, Phoenicia: Irrational catalogue
Melissa Bennett, Raimundo, Reading David Goldblatt’s on the Mines
Indre Urbonaite, State of shame
Jens Schwarz, Themmuns
Giancarlo Shibayama, The Shibayamas
Muriel Schouten, Ways of understanding, Voodoo/Vodun
Lewis Bush, Wv.B/ English
Schore Mehrdju, you never told me about your time in prison

From Margins of Excess by Max Pinckers, self-published. Nominated for the Photo-text Award
Spread from KA-BOOM The Explosion of Landscape by Andrea Botto, published by Editions Bessard. Nominated for the Photo-text Award
Spread from Exile by Vasantha Yogananthan, published by Chose Commune. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
From Big Brother by Louis Quail, published by Dewi Lewis. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
Image from On abortion by Laia Abril, published by Dewi Lewis. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
From Angst © Soham Gupta, published by Akina Books. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
From Corbeau by Anne Golaz, published by MACK. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
From War Primer 2 by Broomberg + Chanarin, published by MACK. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
Spread from In Search of Frankenstein – Mary Shelley’s Nightmare by Chloe Dewe Mathews, published by Kodoji Press. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
Image from An autobiography of Miss Wish by Nina Berman, published by Kehrer. Nominated for the Photo-text Book Award
Spread from Night Procession by Stephen Gill, published by Nobody Books. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From There Are No Homosexuals in Iran by Laurence Rasti, published by Édition Patrick Frey. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From Photographic Treatment by Laurence Aegerter, published by Dewi Lewis. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From The Iceberg by Giorgio di Noto, published by Édition Patrick Frey. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Cover of Bleu by Alix Marie, published by Morel Books. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From What the Living Carry by Morgan Ashcom, published by MACK. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From I Will be Wolf by Bertien van Manen, published by MACK. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From Vandalism by John Divola, published by MACK. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From Domesticated Land by Susan Lipper, published by MACK. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Spread from 43-35 10th Street by Daniel Shea, published by Kodoji Press. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Spread from The Fun Archeology by Thomas Mailaender, published by RVB Books. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Spread from Two Donkeys in a War Zone by Clément Lambelet, published by RVB Books. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Beyond 15, 2016, ‘Beyond Blue’ © Jessica Backhaus. From A trilogy, published by Kehrer. Nominated for the Author Book Award
From Halfway Mountain by Giulia Mangione, published by Journal. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Image © Rafal Milach/Magnum Photos. From The First March of Gentlemen by Rafal Milach, published by GOST. Nominated for the Author Book Award
Cover of Untouched by Guy Bourdin, published by Steidl. Nominated for the Historical Book Award
From Untouched by Guy Bourdin, published by Steidl. Nominated for the Historical Book Award
Cover of Persécutés, persécuteurs, des hommes du XXe siecle [Persecuted/Persecutors, People of the 20th Century] images by August Sander, published by Steidl and Memorial de la Shoah. Nominated for the Historical Book Award
From Persécutés, persécuteurs, des hommes du XXe siecle [Persecuted/Persecutors, People of the 20th Century] images by August Sander, published by Steidl and Memorial de la Shoah. Nominated for the Historical Book Award
 

Diane Smyth

Diane Smyth is the editor of BJP, returning for a second stint on staff in 2023 - after 15 years on the team until 2019. As a freelancer, she has written for The Guardian, FT Weekend Magazine, Creative Review, Aperture, FOAM, Aesthetica and Apollo. She has also curated exhibitions for institutions such as The Photographers Gallery and Lianzhou Foto Festival. You can follow her on instagram @dismy