Black Forest: Four Visible Poems | Edited by Russell Joslin

ABOUT THE BOOK

Black Forest is an arcane collection featuring the works of over 50 contemporary photographers, including Roger Ballen, Arthur Tress, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Elijah Gowin, Louviere and Vanessa, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Irina Ionesco, Julie Blackmon, Gilles Berquet and many other internationally known photographers.

In this volume, editor Russell Joslin–long-time publisher of SHOTS magazine–follows in the steps of André Breton (from whom he borrows his title), exploring what he calls “subterranean beauty.” Darkly atmospheric sequences of surrealistic photographs become a metaphor for the unconscious and the mysterious corners of the psyche. Suggesting loose, intuitive relationships between the works of contemporary artists, Joslin creates four visual narratives associated in tone, emotion and formal structure, but allows room for his readers and viewers to render for themselves the hidden, connective layers of meaning.

This compelling collection of unconventional narratives is complimented by the strange and beautiful design of Jeff Louviere, who, along with his wife and collaborator Vanessa Brown, is one of the contributing artists to this dark and engaging photography book.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Russell Joslin has been the Editor & Publisher of SHOTS Magazine the past fourteen years. SHOTS is an independent, reader-supported quarterly journal of fine art photography that reaches an international audience. Black Forestdemonstrates his distinct editing style, with a special emphasis on sequence and narrative tone.

In addition to his publishing background, Joslin has exhibited his photographs in many galleries and publications worldwide for some twenty years. Most recently, his photographs were featured in EYEMAZING (2012) and at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale (2013).

Joslin lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Black Forest is his first book.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Jeff Louviere has been a graphic designer for about 20 years. He concentrates his skills on posters, books, and music packaging. He’s recently won two gold ADDY’s (best book design and best in show) for Louviere+Vanessa’s latest museum catalog, Coincidence. He’s been inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest painting (1996), earned two AIGA awards of excellence in poster design and four international design awards for exhibition design.

He lives with his wife and artistic collaborator, Vanessa, in their German Shepherd’s house in New Orleans. Louviere+Vanessa have been in over 50 exhibits and film festivals in America and abroad. They are included in the collections of the Museum of Art | Houston, the Photomedia Center, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the George Eastman House, as well as the film archive for Globians International Film, in Potsdam Germany, and Microcinema, in San Francisco. L+V were recently invited to exhibit for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.