Background information
"Voyeurs walk in, expectations are disappointed. This volume, 'Pornography' by Klaus STAECK, is full of obscene pictures, but in the understanding of the philosopher Herbert Marcuse: 'It is not the picture of a naked woman that is obscene, but that of a general who is in displays medals earned in a war of aggression.'
Content
The photo volume 'Pornography' by Klaus STAECK is an irritating panopticon of everyday violence: press photos of street fights, naked war victims or tortured prisoners are followed by staged body art images and all kinds of found objects related to lust, power, exposure and surveillance. This book is a total work of art, offensive in many senses of the word. It couldn't be more topical as an artistic manifesto on violence in the 21st century. But 'Pornography' was published as early as 1971 and became an outstanding and timeless document of political art." (freely translated, © Steidl Verlag, 2007)
Additional information, book review
"The german film-maker Klaus Staeck took the news photograph and the
advertisement as the basis of this hard-hitting anti-Vietnam War,
anti-violance artist's book... 'Pornografie' is one of the most
expressionistic of artist's books, a standout for a genre in which it is
generally considered cool to be cool." (© Parr/Badger, in: The Photobook, Vol.2)
The original volume from 1971 has been included in various compendia, which contain the most interesting and remarkable photo volumes.
- Martin Parr/Gerry Badger (eds.) - The Photobook, Vol 2, pp. 150/151;
M+M. Auer (ed.) - 802 Photo Books, p.526;
Andrew Roth (ed.) - The Open Book, p.282
About the German photo artist, Klaus STAECK (b.1938)
Photo books by Klaus STAECK
- Ed(s)/Author(s)
- H.C. Schmolck
- Format
- SC with no dust jacket, 20 x 24 cm., 392 pp., highly illustrated, German