Background information
"'Ikonar' is a nickname given to Josef KOUDELKA by a group of Roma he encountered. It refers to him as a 'maker of icons', because they used his famous photographs of Roma communities as quasi-religious icons in their place of prayer. However, he is not merely a globally respected Magnum photographer, he is also a prolific 'image collector'.
Content
in 2023, the photo catalog volume 'Ikonar. Archival Constellations', which covers the period from 1960 to 2012, makes a range of materials by Josef KOUDELKA available, some of them unpublished. They were selected from the 30,000-plus 35 mm contact sheets in his archive. Published in conjunction with the exhibition at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, it presents portfolios of core series of his work shot in 35 mm format, interleaved with seven thematic constellations that are a logical extension of his archive. It thus allows parallel visual explorations of his work and the evolving processes of creation." (© Spector, 2022)
Additional informations
The photo catalog 'Ikonar. Archival Constellations' received the 'German Photobook Award in Gold'.
The book design is by Fabian BREMER & Pascal STORZ.