MONZÓN, Óscar - Karma

Background information

"In the photographic volume 'Karma' by Óscar MONZÓN, a project developed in Madrid between 2009 and 2013, the Spanish photographer focuses on the car as a means of transportation that cannot be separated from the person who drives it. It is represented here as the product of an endless wheel that turns inside us. 'Karma' explores a range of unconscious human behaviours imprinted on our memory. In terms of the relationship we establish with the car, these forms of conduct materialise in specific ways: detachment, competition, aggressiveness. Applying a visual language that eliminates the illusion of depth and emphasises abstraction, Karma brings us up close to the paradoxical intimacy provided by the car within public space, reflecting its occupants’ attitudes. The sequence of images combine human skin with aggressively designed bodyworks; headlights in the night conjure the image of wild animals; close-up flashes confront the people portrayed. Ultimately, this work reveals the social and aesthetic evolution of humankind, driven by our abiding desire to attain the perfection of a machine." (free translation of publisher's text, © Dalpine)

Content/Book Review

"Public and private images are fantastically blurred in 'Karma,' one of the year's boldest photo book releases. Óscar MONZÓN's invasive images of nocturnal drivers at traffic lights in Madrid are full of life, his surprising light penetrating every voyeuristic detail during the book's manic sequence / designs further intensifying this energetic experience." (freely translated, © Tom Claxton)

Additional information

The photo volume 'Karma' by Óscar MONZÓN is designed by Eloi GIMENO. It was the winning title of the Paris Photobook Award in 2013 and was featured in the best-of lists of Martin Parr and Tom Clayton.

About the Spanish photographer, Óscar MONZÓN

Photo books by Óscar MONZÓN