ENGSTRÖM, JH - Revoir

"Why were some of the images left out? Why would the sequencing change? All the questions don’t call for answers. Nevertheless, they point to several instances, two, three, or even four. Living, producing the images, organizing them, putting them to rest, granting them another life. Re-viewing them." (© Christian Caujolle)

Personal statement by Swedish photographer JH ENGSTRÖM

"In 2004, I made the book 'Trying to Dance', designed by Patric LEO (...). For me, 'Trying to Dance' is more than a book – the photographs on which it was based constitute an image universe of its own. Photography then had a liberating effect on me as a visual artist. I lived mostly in New York, but also in Värmland, Sweden, and travelled a lot in the United States and Europe. Mentally, I was in between worlds, between realities, between the urban and the rural. This was also a period when I questioned and doubted the importance and relevance of photography for me – actually. The freedom I so strongly experienced in the process of making 'Trying to Dance', largely answered my doubts and became a compass for my continued creativity.
To start with, I was not at all certain going back to the 'Trying to Dance' negatives. But when I started looking through the files – so many images, so many that were not used in 'Trying to Dance', and so many new combinations that hit me; it was then that I decided that we should publish 'Revoir'." (JH ENGSTRÖM)

Content

"'Revoir' is a completely new book, a revision, a revisit to that period between the mid-90s and the early 2000s. The book has been made in close and enjoyable collaboration with all the people that I worked with on 'Trying to Dance'. Around two thirds of the photographs have not been published before. For the first time I have scanned the negatives, together with Ewa-Teréz Gölin, and allowed the present to guide me in the printing for 'Revoir'.
Christian Caujolle has written a text for the book. This makes me especially happy, since he was the first to whole-heartedly embrace and recognise the photographs then, almost 17 years ago." (JH Engström)

Additional information

The photo volume 'Revoir' by JH ENGSTRÖM was designed by Patric LEO. It contains 174 black-and-white and color images on 244 pages. The text by Christian Caujolle is in three languages: French/English/Swedish (translation to English by Frédérique Destribats and to Swedish by Gösta Flemming.
'Revoir' was shortlisted for the Infinity Award, 2017 at International Center of Photography (ICP), New York in category Artist Books and for 'Prix du Livres', 2017 at Les Rencontres D'Arles, France.

About the Swedish photographer, JH ENGSTRÖM (b. 1969, in Karlstad)

Photo books by and with works by JH ENGSTRÖM