My first reaction was fear.
This is not a reaction I often have to holding a book.
Notice, however, that I said “holding.” I did not say “reading” or “viewing.” I said, “holding.”
The book I was holding was 10 Years by Sandra Cattaneo Adorno, so I should have known I was in for something unexpected. And, of course, the fear quickly turned into a deep joy.
“10 Years” by Sandra Cattaneo Adorno
Published by Radius Books, 2024
review by W. Scott Olsen
Let me explain. I have had the good fortune to review two of Cattaneo Adorno’s previous books here at FRAMES. The first was Águas de Ouro.
And the second was Scarti di Tempo.
With both books, I was surprised by not only by excellent photography, but by a re-imagining of what a photobook could, and perhaps should, be. The attention to book-arts is highly imagined and well-executed. And while I don’t know what I was expecting, even knowing Cattaneo Adorno’s work, when I opened “10 Years” I was not expecting what I got.
10 Years is a type of retrospective, so it is not a small book. 10×13.25 inches. One hundred and seventy-six pages, with ninety-three images. The cover is an elegant black with an embossed image. I opened the cover and noticed the pages were intentionally not glued to the spine. Then I turned the first page and gasped.
10 Years is accordion-fold. You do not turn the pages; you turn/unfold what is essentially one very long page. And even then, you’re not done. Going once through in a more or less traditional way, you’ve only seen one side of the paper. You have to go back to the start and turn/unfold it the other way.
Why was I afraid? 10 Years is a beautiful book. I was afraid I was going to bend a page, crinkle something because I did not fold it back correctly. (A point of pride: I have been through the book a dozen times and have not—yet—introduced a crease that wasn’t there before.)
Happily, the fear went away quickly, and I discovered there is a genius to this format with such a large book. The book is a process. Holding the book (or, frankly, even when the book is open and resting on a table or desk) is to experience physically an idea that the beginning is connected to the end, and there is always another side, hidden at the moment, to consider.
According to Radius Books’ website,
“Drawing inspiration from artist scrapbooks and leporellos (accordion books), 10 Years adopts the accordion format to imagine the photographs as notes one would make in a diary to record feelings and impressions. The images in the book are printed with the same gold metallic ink and black paper as the prints on view [in an exhibition], transforming the picture into a glimmering sliver of reverie that recalls the delicate splendors of Gustav Klimt’s symbolist paintings and the golden paint of Brazilian dancers at Carnival.
Resisting the notions of beginning and end, Cattaneo Adorno envisions 10 Years as a scroll where stories unfold in fragmented and layered narratives, much like travel itself. The photographs meld one another, unveiling the complex interplay between dislocation and interconnection equal parts enigmatic and profound. These glittering scenes of Mauritius, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore, New York, London, Italy, Portugal, and Japan become surreal meditations of otherness as mysterious as existence itself.”
According to Cattaneo Adorno’s website,
“Ten Years is a celebration of Sandra Cattaneo Adorno’s decade of photography, which started when the artist turned sixty years old. Guided by a profound sense of curiosity, Cattaneo Adorno pairs insight and playfulness to reflect on perception and personal memories in the images of the project, which features in an exhibition in Venice (currently at Palazzo Bembo, until the 24th November 2024) and in a book by Radius Books.
The photographs investigate the photographer’s experience of being displaced and living in different countries, as pictures of people taken in various locations melt into one another in a continuous circle through to the accordion shape of the book. This format allows Ten Years to increasingly transpose the viewers into a dimension of magic through the use of golden metallic ink. This innovative technique evokes Cattaneo Adorno’s memories of carnival dancers in her native city of Rio de Janeiro, whose bodies covered in gold paint represent a celebration of life. By inverting some of the images to make them look like photographic negatives, the artist offers another perspective on reality, as hidden details come to light and the viewers are invited to question what they are seeing.”
Turning the pages of 10 Years is a physical experience of an aesthetic idea. Everything is connected, and you have to be careful.
But an appreciation of book arts should not obscure the fact that the images are wonderful and alluring. There is a mystery to each of them and an invitation to spend some time parsing out the possibilities. Beach scenes. City scenes. Scenes of things and locations I cannot place. Open anywhere in 10 Years, and you feel like you’re this close to understanding. And, of course, being this close to history is exactly the point.
There is always something on the verge of discovery and memory. That is where photography lives.
“10 Years,” the exhibition, will be on view April 20–November 24, 2024, at Palazzo Bembo, Riva del Carbon 4793, 30124 Venezia. The book is a limited edition of only signed copies and is available only from Radius Books.
Sandra Cattaneo Adorno: Ten Years (European Cultural Center/Radius Books,
2024)
Sandra Cattaneo Adorno: Ten Years (European Cultural Center/Radius Books,
2024)
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diana nicholette jeon
August 25, 2024 at 10:04
It is not clear to me why the format of the book was a surprise. Many artists have worked with the hardcover extended accordion that doubles as an unbound flip page book. I love this book and the format. Hawaii’s Wayne Levin has a gorgeous book done by premier handmade book publisher, Datz Press, that is the same format. I love both books, and can only hope my final dos-dos of my upcoming book is half as gorgeous as either of these.