1. Daisuke Yokota’s Matter, published by ArtBeat
By far the best book by Daisuke, his practice has now evolved past photography itself and is incorporating sound, installation, and the burnt photographs combine a natural (wax) and unnatural (burning) set of elements. It speaks volumes about the essential nature of photography, the truth within images and also the possibility for looking at iconoclasm and moving past the static nature of, not only photography, but books and the practice surrounding our insular little world.
2. Valentina Abenavoli’s Anaesthesia, published by Akina Books
By far the most impressive work I have seen using YouTube footage, it is personal, political, and sensitive. It takes on the tropes of violence, the image and the global paradigm of our violent nature and needs, that inhabit seeing the results of our executions, collectively.
3. Mauvais Genre exhibition at Galerie Du Jour, Agnes B, 04-17 November
Sebastien Lifshitz’s incredible collection of vintage vernacular images of men and women in drag, playful camera interludes that speak of inter-gender, but also simply the need to stage theatrical representations of orientation and gender, smash them and have some whimsy while doing so. It was the best thing I saw during Paris Photo.
4. Peter Puklus’ The Epic Love Story of a Warrior, published by SPBH Editions
Peter’s dense little tome is everything I love about people making images that at first seem like simple aesthetics, but when viewed in the larger body of work become something entirely different. The book is very weighted towards speaking about post-war European sensibilities in the flood of Western capitalism. It is by no small measure that Mr. Puklus comes from Hungary – a country that dealt with multiple tyrannies and multiple ideological perspectives over the last 60 years. His book is also the closest I have seen visually to Paul Outerbridge.
5. Offprint’s Luma Foundation sponsorship
We need support in our community, as we are a bunch of poor bastards by and large. The move for the partnership between Offprint and Luma Foundation is fortuitous for us all. The publishing fair can now grow towards more epic proportions and in turn should spotlight the community that has supported it the past few years-namely the artists and publishers.
6. Konichiwa by Skepta
Some of the hits like “Man” have been bangers for a few years, but this release by Skepta is by far his strongest and ensures his title as one of England’s finest MCs and producers. The past years of working on beats for the global music world has honed his skillset immensely and oddly seems to have kept his humble nature in full effect. I could go on about music more than photography, but I reckon this is one of the better things to drop in 2016
In 2017 I’m looking forward to:
Opening a gallery in Athens
The BKK book from AM Collective with Akina Books, it will be smoking
Watching Der Greif unfold their new plans
My curatorial exhibition at Fomu under the Braakland moniker
The end of drone or Google Earth-related photography books
The actual indication that the “liberals” and “left” in UK and Amerikkka might actually have to get out of their chair to change tyranny, as opposed to whining about it comfortably under a roof that the bank owns…