Background information
"'Am I exploiting the people in my pictures? Is it morally justifiable to work as a photographer in war zones? Why are we all attracted to images of the misery of others? Am I producing war pornography?' (Christoph BANGERT)
Christoph BANGERT worked for international media as a photographer in crisis areas and often faced a dilemma: On the one hand he tried to depict events true to his perception, on the other hand he had to reconcile this with various layers of self-censorship. The first censorship took place in the photographer's mind: In some pictures in the book Christoph BANGERT does not remember having taken them. The second layer of censorship took place with the publishing media, the third with the viewer. In the photo book 'War Porn' Christoph BANGERT dares the experiment to switch off the self-censorship completely. 'War Porn' is both highly personal and honest in its effort to take a different look at our world.
Content
With its stripped back format, simple open spine cardboard cover, and typewritten title, Christoph BANGERT's photo book 'War Porn' looks like a handmade, private journal. Some double pages of the book are untrimmed, i.e. closed. The reader can open them along a perforation and thus decide for himself how many of the pictures he wants to see, how many he can bear." (slightly adapted publisher's text, © Kehrer Verlag, 2014)
About the German photographer, Christoph BANGERT (*1978)
Photo books by Christoph BANGERT
- Book design
- Teun VAN DER HEIJDEN
- Format
- 2nd print run, HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 12 x 16 x 2 cm., 192 pp., 98 color ills., text language: English