© Hester Scheurwater SHOOTING BACK #54-55
Galerie Frank Taal is very pleased to present Hester Scheurwater’s solo and bookpresentation of SHOOTING BACK . SHOOTING BACK is the name of the solo and of the book of photographs presented at the NOFOUND Photo Fair in Paris, which was published and edited by Walter Keller (Gerber & Keller ) Zurich.
The photography, short films and video performances of Dutch artist Hester Scheurwater are often blocked on the Internet. The Self-obsessed iPhone series, which explores her desires, obsessions and fears sparked media hype in the Netherlands. The explicit imagery shocked many and fueled debate on the sexualization of society. But the editor of Scheurwater’s first book of photography, SHOOTING BACK, defends her work. Zurich-based curator, writer and contemporary photography specialist Walter Keller compares it to Rober Mapplethorpe’s sexually-charged imagery or Francesca Woodman’s erotic mise-en-scene. “Scheurwater’s visual self-explorations extend the boundaries of another main topic in art history and photography – the pose. But in her pictures, model and artist are one,” says Keller. “Yes, this is sexually explicit work, but even more, it is a curious and smart research about herself, where the artist looks at herself from both sides of the mirror.
“Under the guise of self-portraits Hester Scheurwater investigates and critiques the role of woman as a sex object. Photographs of herself posing before a mirror reflects both Scheurwater’s inner thoughts and outward appearance. “The mirrored self-images are my way of reacting on the imitated and fake media images, which are constantly calling upon our imagination, without intending to be taken too seriously, ” she explains. ” I try to deconstruct this call’s effect with my reactions by switching the ‘subject-object’ relationship, without being victimised by it.” Scheurwater’s work is sexually explicit, and therefore well known.
Zurich based Walter Keller is co-founder of Parkett Art Magazine, Fotomuseum Winterthur/Switzerland, and Scalo Publishers (active until 2006). He is a curator, writer, gallerist and an internationally well-known specialist of contemporary photography. Walter Keller published books from Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Richard Prince, Boris Mikhailov, Helmut Newton and more.
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SHOOTING BACK is also on display in the new gallery of the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam. The gallery specializes in editions and displays both historical classics as well as contemporary books and multiples.
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SHOOTING BACK is available exclusively through Galerie Walter Keller, Zurich Switzerland, Galerie Frank Taal Rotterdam, Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam.
Book information: Hardcover with linen, 120 pages, 20 x 30 cm, appr. 115 color and b/w full page photos, Limited Edition 250 copies (no reprint will be made). All copies come with a signed and numbered inkjet print in the size of the book, printed with archival pigment print on Hahnemühle paper. Published by Gerber & Keller, Zurich.
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