Bøker utgitt av Studio Jurgen Maelfeyt en Art Paper Editions

To be explicit or not to be explicit? That's what Jurgen Maelfeyt questions in his new book, TOY. Inspired by his personal collection of vintage erotica, the Belgium-based photographer's latest page-turner features a series of reproduced photographs taken from '70s and '80s porn magazines. TOY arrives as the third instalment of Maelfeyt's book trilogy. While still exploring themes of intimacy, desire and the human form, TOY deviates from the on-the-nose titles of his first and second books, WET and FURS, which quite literally explore water and, well, fur, as found in '70s porn. "There's actually no toys in this book, they're just alluded to throughout," Maelfeyt says. "In fact, I wanted to hide a lot more in TOY." From images of bodies strewn across sun loungers to close-ups of hands clasping glasses of red wine and stiletto-clad feet tucked under legs on sofas, TOY examines how images in erotic magazines aren't always about explicit, hardcore sex. They also showcase intimacy in all of its glorious, sexy manifestations. (THE FACE MAGAZINE)

Dorothy Sing Zhang unveils a compelling portrayal of humanity's vulnerable state during sleep. The scene is set in the bedrooms of others. One is asked to be asleep, a squeeze cable release is placed under the pillow. The chance of one's unconscious body rolling over and triggering the camera results in an exposure. Like Someone Alive expands these boundaries by withdrawing the traditional relationships between the photographer, the object and the camera. "About five years ago I was trying to realise a way where the approach towards the trigger would somehow be directly reflected in the image. How can the pressure craft the physicality upon the trigger that generates the exposure. I had this old exercise pull up bar. I would physically pull myself up while squeezing the cable release to make an image. A step further was to somehow dismiss the awareness of the approach, so sleep became the plot but photography is the story. "

With 'In Camera' Christiaens juxtaposes her own relationship, her own identity and her own images with those of her parents. In doing so, she calls into question the traditional relationship between men and woman and between photographer and model, both over time and within her own family history. Gazes cross and are reflected within the image, outside the image and through the image. It's about different perspectives in different times, about similarities and differences. It's about looking at ourselves, our bodies, our loved ones and others trough the eye of the camera. About exploring the different layers and histories these gazes hold-the gaze of the loved one, the gaze of an artist, the reflected gaze in the mirror-and how they help shape our identity, both within ourselves and through the other. (Stefan Vanthuyne)