Eva Leitolf- Looking For Evidence

Pond, Viersen, 2007

A twenty-two-year-old man told the police in Viersen that on 10 July 2006 he had been verbally abused and physically assaulted by four young men on account of his skin colour. He said that he had succeeded in defending himself and getting away. The state security department of the Mönchengladbach police took charge of the investigation but was unable to identify any of the perpetrators.
 
I don't get bowled over by many photography books anymore- perhaps for several reasons: they aren't as "rare" as they used to be; they aren't as "good" as they used to be; it's all been done before and twice on the internet; my soul is dead and housed in a rotting shell. Any of those a possible reason. So I was several steps beyond elated gazing upon Eva Leitolf's Looking For Evidence. And I'll confess right here and now that this "review" comes from all of ten minutes that I spent with it in my arms. Why didn't I buy it? It cost $65, a serious dent considering my current income, so I walked around the block rationalizing how I could rationalize said purchase, and when I returned, SFMOMA was closed (and good thing too, since I was able to find it half price via said internet).

Looking For Evidence is one of the most beautiful photography books I've ever seen, and the quality of  the reproductions, absolutely outstanding! Viewing them online is a distinct disservice to the grandeur Eva Leitolf's large format images convey. And just what is the subject matter that is so beautifully captured and portrayed- grand scenic vistas, natural scenic wonders? They are essentially banal and vacant crime scenes- inconspicuous corners, streets, and crossings in Germany where racial assaults, beatings and confrontations had recently occurred. There is no telling evidence left to be examined, no remnants to suggest- it seems Eva Leitolf has literally commanded these photographs to captivate and sustain our interest through sheer force of will. Her straight forward compositions are often bolstered by a vibrant color palette, but basically what she has pulled off is a conceptual tour de force- visually entrancing one with an otherwise mundane sight unseen infamous only for something it cannot possibly portray.

Perhaps this is what is meant by a viable alternative to the current in your face tragedy journalism. And it is easy to understand why it is not exactly common practice- one doesn't cover a news event well after the "decisive moment" has long left the building. But it is not entirely without precedent. Simon Norfolk and a small handful of other photographers have covered events after the fact in a somewhat similar fashion, and Joel Sternfeld's On This Site covered much the same territory with the exact same technique back in '96, but his subject matter was more varied and his photographs considerably more pedestrian- so many of Leitolf's images however, manage to resonate profoundly even when one is completely unaware of their historic, and quite horrific, context.

By the village pond, Pömmelte, 2007

The son of an Ethiopian man and a German woman who lived in a children's home in Pömmelte was verbally abused in a bus by five juveniles on 9 January 2006. When the twelve-year-old got off the bus in Pömmelte, the group followed him several hundred metres through the village before maltreating him for more than an hour at the village pond. He was spat upon, beaten and kicked with army boots. The perpetrators forced him to lick their boots and trainers and to answer questions with 'Yes, my Führer'. The ringleader threatened him with a gas pistol and throttled him, while another urinated on his head. He was subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse. The boy suffered thirty-four injuries, including craniocerebral trauma and a broken nose, and had to spend a week in hospital. The court found that the sixteen- to twenty-year-olds had sadistically tormented and gravely injured their victim for racist reasons, and sentenced the ringleader to three and a half years youth custody. Three other accused were given suspended sentences. In response to the crime the anti-fascist alliance in Schönebeck and Magdeburg called a demonstration in Schönebeck on 25 February 2006 under the slogan 'Don't look the other way, intervene!' At the same time the Young National Democrats and other local right-wing groups organised a counter-demonstration entitled 'Stop the media hate campaigns! They talk about Nazis but they mean all us Germans!'

Eva Leitolf- Postcards from Europe

 Rostrogordo Picnic Park, Spanish-Moroccan Border, Melilla 2006

Melilla on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast has been held by Spain since 1497. Immediately upon independence from Spain in 1956 Morocco asserted its claim to Melilla and the second Spanish exclave, Ceuta. In 1999 the European Union funded an upgrade of the 12-kilometre border defences to stop undocumented immigration. Two parallel fences up to six metres high are topped with rolls of razor wire and monitored by movement sensors, infrared cameras and watchtowers.Der Tagesspiegel, 24 June 2008; tagesschau.de, 28 August 2000

From the series Eva Leitolf, Postcards from Europe, c-print, 81 x 69 cm, ed. 6+1

I have posted on Eva Leitolf before, so it should be no surprise that I am a huge fan of her work. Postcards from Europe is her latest- and it does not disappoint. This time she revisits specific locations dealing with incidents concerning immigration in Europe. Once again, she follows her previous formula of photographing unoccupied landscapes while supplying detailed descriptions of what occurred there. And once again, her beautifully minimalist scenics eerily manage to resonate with how those problems reverberate in our present day world. Fascinating stuff!

 

 Farm of the Marchese di Cassibile, Cassibile, Italy 2010

On 16 June 2006 staff of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) dismantled their kitchen and sanitation tents on land owned by the Marchese di Cassibile in order to follow the itinerant workers – who had spent two months harvesting potatoes here – to the tomato harvest in Foggia. According to MSF, before it intervened the mostly undocumented harvest workers lived without running water, toilets or electricity under plastic sheeting, in abandoned houses in the area, or in the abandoned farm. Between April and June 2006, MSF arranged 339 medical appointments, diagnosing mainly illnesses caused by the harsh living and working conditions: respiratory complaints, gastro-intestinal problems, skin infections and muscle injuries. A spokesperson for the organisation said that MSF had been working in Cassibile since 2003 and hoped every year that the local authorities would assume the responsibility and make their intervention superfluous. In the report I frutti dell’ipocrisia: Storie di chi l’agricoltura la fa: Di nascosto, MSF estimates that 15,000 seasonal workers come to Sicily every year.  MSF report of 16 June 2006 (http://www.medicisenzafrontiere.it/msfinforma/comunicati_stampa.asp?id=1348) 

From the series Eva Leitolf, Postcards from Europe, c-print, 81 x 69 cm, ed. 6+1

Eva Leitolf- An Interview

I've never been much for those overblown, oversyllabificated pontifications that preface artists monographs. So often they seem to exist for little more than their own sake. Fortunately, we're spared such grand soliloquies in Looking for Evidence- although one would be operating at a distinct loss without reading the highly relevant captions that accompany each image. I was first stunned by the sheer beauty of Eva Leitolf's photographs, seduced by the quality of light and the tranquility of the images. It was only upon reading said captions, that I wanted to know more...

Fortunately, Eva Leitolf obliged. And even though I would hesitate to call this a "formal" interview, it certainly helps explain, at least in part, why this work, so seemingly detached, is so hauntingly effective.

State road, Weihenlinden, 2007

On 16 May 1999 there was a serious road accident on state road 2078, where all five Turkish occupants of the car were killed. Two days later a driver discovered a poster at the scene of the accident bearing a swastika and the words 'the moral of the story - dead Turks don't bother us'. The poster was secured by the police and examined forensically, but the investigation remained inconclusive.

SB:  What first interested you in racial/immigration issues? When did you first think of integrating those concerns with your photography?

EL:  Back in 1992, I was studying photography in Essen and needed to make a decision on the subject of my diploma project.
At that time numerous racist or xenophobically motivated crimes were committed in Germany and I was dissatisfied with the way most of the German news media dealt with it. It was the same picture everywhere: before the crimes occurred there was a massive use of xenophobic metaphors both in pictures and texts (“the boat is full” kind of thing), followed by cover photographs like the one of a seemingly helpless border patrol officer trying to keep a flood of immigrants out of the country (Der Spiegel titled this as “the helpless state”). After the arson attacks, and other racist crimes were committed throughout the country, “The Nazi Kids” made it to the magazine covers and TV news. In this scenario none of the rest of us, of the rest of society, had anything to do with it.
My interest in the subject was closely connected to an interest in how pictures work and, in a more general sense, how meaning is produced through connotation.


SB: How did you come up with the concept of photographing such scenes of violence (depicted in Looking For Evidence) well after the fact? Did you  consider more traditional approaches? Were you aware of Joel Sternfield's On This Site?

EL:  German Images consists of two parts : an early part, from 1992 to 1994, and a recent part, from 2006 to 2008.
At the time I understood the early photographs as an attempt to look for what was there besides the Hitler-saluting skinheads. Going after the fact and to explore the locations beside was a direct reaction to my concerns with the simplistic narrative that was commonly put up by the German mainstream media.
Twelve years later I initially wanted to put a book together with this early work. It had been published in several anthologies but has never found its right form for me. During this process I looked back at several issues around the work that still seemed interesting to explore: the relation of photography and text, the tension between what can be seen, and what is left to the imagination, the way German society deals with racist and xenophobic violence today.
I was aware of Sternfield's On This Site but don´t relate to it too much. I think Sternfeld is rather trying to create a photographic memorial for crime victims than to talk structurally about of how societies deal with crimes, perpetrators or victims. I feel far more influenced by others, for example by Eugene Atget´s sense for the absence, Robert del Tredici´s thorough research practices and Allan Sekula´s theories - Sekula was one of my teachers at Cal Arts in the mid nineties.


SB:  One can't get over just how beautiful these photographs are! Were you ever worried that you would not be able to come up with a visually arresting image at a particular location?

EL: During the two years I was working on the new part of German Images, I traveled to a tremendous number of places that could have been part of the final project. The fact is that racist violence is reported almost everywhere in Germany, and you can find thousands of relevant incidents, both major and minor. So to answer your question more directly: I did not take pictures of all the places I went to.


SB:  What has been the overall reception to this work- from the "art world," news media, social organizations and activists, and last and not least, the immigrant community and those directly affected?

EL:  I can´t describe an overall reception. The work was shown in art venues like the Pinakothek der Moderne in München or the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in St. Louis, in the US. It was well received by German art critics, got published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, but got nasty comments in letters to the editors. There were invitations by social or political organizations to show the work which I didn´t accept, because I had the feeling that the work would become exploited in a way I didn´t feel comfortable with. A big surprise to me were the many positive reactions I got via email from all over the world by people with very different backgrounds who came across German Images on photo blogs or on my website.


SB:  I've always been under the impression that Germany has rather comprehensive laws governing hate crimes/speech, esp those involving their Nazi past. And yet I couldn't help notice how many of the crimes reflected in your work were either unsolved or rather lightly punished- which seems to almost condone, or at least tolerate this behavior.  Is this common with respect to other areas of German law, or is this more reflective of the will and attitude of Germans in certain (geographical) areas when it comes to race/immigration?

EL:  There is probably no simple answer to that. The biggest issue in here doesn´t seem to be the legislature. As you said, there are comprehensive laws.
For example, in Rostock-Lichtenhagen, where I went in 1993, the neighbors had watched arson attacks on a housing centre for immigrants and the adjacent Vietnamese homes a year earlier, and applauded them. So it came as no surprise that I was told things like “the way our youngsters did it might not have been the best one, but somebody needed to act and do something about the immigrants”. There are comprehensive theories that an escalation in Rostock was politically intended or at least welcomed in order to speed up and influence the debate on German asylum laws at the beginning of the nineties.
While doing research twelve years later I personally encountered very many concerned and helpful people both within the police forces as well as the prosecution and judicial system. Nevertheless there seem to be problems within these fields as a number of cases suggest.


SB:  Would you consider using a similar approach for other projects? Or were you attracted to this project, at least in part, because you could approach it in such a "nontraditional" manner? What's in the immediate future?

EL: I am as interested in the subject matter of my projects as I am interested by the specific approaches that develop in the process of dealing with them. I can't think separately of one and the other.
For the past two years I have been looking at the European Union´s Schengen borders, their effects on migration and European societies. The working title for this project is Postcards from Europe and it is in some ways related to German Images – Looking for Evidence.

Thank you, Eva Leitolf...
 

British war cemetery, Kleve-Reichswalde, 2007

On 11 November 2001 a car with Dutch number plates was set alight on the car park opposite the main entrance to the war cemetery. The Dutch owner told the police that he had been playing the bagpipes in the cemetery when a man in a black bomber jacket and army boots aggressively demanded that he play something for a 'Rudolf Heinrich' whose birthday he said had been the week before. The Dutch man refused, and when he returned to his car a short while later he found it in flames. The state security police took charge of the investigation because the possibility of it being a political crime committed by rightwing extremists could not be excluded. They remained inconclusive.

Eva Leitolf- Looking For Evidence Part II

I finally got my very own copy of Eva Leitolf's Looking For Evidence- and I'm happy to report my initial ten minute impression was by no means exaggerated, mistaken, or misleading. The book every bit as beautiful, as its topic is serious! Its remarkable photographs forever exuding a stoic stillness, an almost serene solemnity that belies the violence and hatred that instigated their very creation.

Recent Books & Random Thoughts...

Well, it's that time of year when we look back... and plan ahead. This year I finally got it down and put together (kind of ridiculous to say published) my first Blurb book. A helluva lotta work starting from B&W negs, but pretty happy the way it turned out- for my first try. Of course, it woulda been loads nicer had someone actually noticed the damn thing, but... Actually, its the way to go- if only for the fact that I have neither darkroom, nor printer. It definitely makes for a somewhat convenient alternative (not the most preferable obviously, but definitely the cheapest) for getting one's work in some kind of print form.

My exposure to the plethora of photography books now available is limited, probably a good thing since I can't afford or have room for one more. But for now (and in no particular order)...

1)  Greater Atlanta- Mark Steinmetz   Subject of much critical acclaim, and good as his work is- I think a lot of people (who simply don't know better) were just taken aback that, yes, one could do straight, "fine art" photography that didn't fit their particular stereotype of what all B&W photography looks like. I saw all kinds of the stuff back in the day (when a lot of these guys were still prepubescent embryos)- and to my eternal discredit, I didn't take better note of all the names. Back when I was young, dumb and twenty one, I thought B&W would last forever. But a lot of the work of those who began to carve their own distinctive paths in B&W were simply steamrolled in time by the avalanche that was color... Good? Yes! Great to see and experience (again)? Yes! Original? Hell No!

2)  Looking For Evidence- Eva Leitolf   Every time I look at one of her photographs, I transfix yet again at what Ms. Leitolf manages to accomplish- transform the ugliness of past events within the beauty of the present.

3)  Wonderland- Jason Eskanazi   The pocket Bible of 35mm B&W.

4)  Father/Photographer- Henry Frank   Big Bob's Ol' man gives it a go in a nice little, compact scrapbook (it's in the genes don't ya know).

5)  America By Car- Lee Friedlander   Let's see you take better pictures sitting on your ass...

6)  Newton Creek Anthony Hamboussi   There's art to be had in all that documentary!

7)  This Is Not My Sky- Noah Beil    Home made goodness you can taste and feel.

8)  Nan Goldin     The portable entry vehicle. 

9)  Working The Line- David Taylor    The as of yet definitive photographic study of the US/Mexican border, complete with hardcover book and beautiful accompanying accordion styled typology insert. Incredible work, and incredible bang for the buck!

10)  Fluffy Clouds-  Jürgen Nefzger   On order... (I'm a sucker for cooling towers).

 If there's one, and only one, book I get in all of 2011-- it's gonna be Vivian Maier's...

And now... make way, yes, I can see it, just over the horizon- the light at the end of the tunnel...  

The Great B&W Photo Revival of 20__!!!

The PJ Blues

Seems every year we go through at least one chorus of "photojournalism's dead, played and buried, and we desperately need to reexamine, reinvigorate and reinvent the medium." Cell phones, tragedy porn and the alleged end of print media have all exasperated the situation. And then there are those who seem to infer that not only has it well outlived  it's usefulness, it's also guilty of the more heinous crime of outliving it's quasi art form status based on its grainy B&W origins.

Benjamin Chesterton of Duckrabbit has offered several viable suggestions and alternatives- more multi media type approaches (including the voices of those featured and photographed), as well as more regional reportage from those indigenous to specific areas.

For those clamoring for photojournalism with a different style and approach, it doesn't get more different than  Eva Leitolf's work- and why her Looking For Evidence hasn't garnered more attention (than I'm aware of) is beyond me. Fortunately, Eva was gracious enough to answer a few questions and grant us some insight into the background and execution of this most unique and intriguing work- which will be presented here this Tuesday... 

So... What's New?

New? In the last decade? The one which has probably witnessed more technological innovation in the field of photography than any other period since its inception? How 'bout the fact that most photographers were still using the now antiquated medium called film? It's been a veritable technological sea change: digital capture that surpasses film quality, smart phones with sophisticated cameras, the ever evolving world of multimedia, photo editing software that defies reality...

Then there's the not so insignificant matter of the technology that disperses and promulgates all these images, in some cases instantaneously- of which you know better than I. Not to mention blogs, Facebook and Twitter (allowing us common folk some small voice in all that's happening), and perhaps last and not least, what some are currently referring to as "The Golden Age of Photography Books," brought on by the surge of independent publishing.

And all of that is great and good and wonderful, each of us "free" to pick and use whatever within our means and interests. But despite the glitter of technology, the most significant meaningful trend in the act of photography itself has been how some photographers have chosen to deal with their subject matter, particularly in documentary and photojournalism when dealing with the people that make up their story- not as fodder for mass consumption, but as real live human beings with lives that extend well beyond a picture frame and a deadline. As technology evolves and increasingly speeds us along, some have elected to purposely slow the process down, sometimes long enough to realize that those in front of their cameras also have eyes that see, and voices well worth listening to. These are the photographers who choose to give of themselves as their subjects give to them, those who do long term projects, projects that not only record visually but also investigate causes and seek out solutions. Ideally, the latter would also include empowering indigenous peoples to become media savvy themselves.

This more humane and responsible manner of documentation is not without precedent. Gilles Peress, Simon Norfolk, Susan Meiselas, Jim Goldberg, Sebastio Salgado, James Nachtwey, Ken Light, Mary Ellen Mark, Shelby Lee Adams and Fazal Sheikh all helped pioneer various kinds of multi-faceted, long term documentation well before the digital revolution. And while all the above have continued their work well into this century, other, newer names have committed to expand and further that very legacy:

 Aaron Huey's documentation goes well beyond the extremes of simple romanticism or blatant voyeurism and strives for solutions.

Taryn Simon's multilayered work unveils hidden myths and truths that allow making real life (and even life saving) connections.

Zoe Strauss learned, practiced and exhibited her photography on the streets of her hometown.

Eva Leitolf's deceptively subtle and stunningly beautiful images serve to accentuate the horrors they disguise.

 

Mr. Thomas creates controversial images that can literally shock us into awareness and recognition (or descend us yet further into denial). Pity we don't have more great art that examines its relationship with money, rather than art created solely to make it. 

Matt Black's old school B&W triumphs when it comes to depicting today's troubled economic and environmental landscape.

Brenda Ann Keneally- The strength and passion of her commitment is surpassed only by the quality of her photography and the trust of her subjects.

Hopefully you're already familiar with these names, and their accomplishments- I've surely made some major omissions, so please feel free to include your own additions... I also think Benjamin Chesterton* of Duckrabbit blog should be mentioned for championing this very kind of dedicated photography not only on his blog, but in practice- through his advocacy, workshops and multi-media productions.  * In the interest of full disclosure I do "know" Mr. Chesterton, if only through the interweb. 

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And then there are those who commit themselves to the long term visual documentation of the slow and sorrowful denigration of our very planet; a planet being wantonly stripped and scoured of every last ounce of its resources- 90% of the "big fish" in our oceans have been fished out and our climate would continue to increase in temperature for years even if we immediately shut down every coal plant on earth and stopped driving each and every single car, truck and airplane. And still, we continue to do... Nothing! We're approaching the very tipping point before ecosystems worldwide begin a nonstop cascade to oblivion. Photography may not offer answers, but it can help shine a light on the enroaching threat(s) surrounding us all, threats that will continue to endanger us well beyond the distractions of today and tomorrow's dessert and celebrity photos.

The following photographers are producing the kind of photographic documentation, and evidence, that if not willfully ignored, would make believers of the most ardent deniers. The plethora of highly detailed and comprehensive work created by the first three photographers have expanded into film, the last two photographers are perhaps less known but provide exemplary images of an environment and world community in crisis...

 James Baalog

Chris Jordan

Edward Burtynsky *

Bruce Haley

Daniel Shea

*I criticized Mr. Burtynsky years ago for not being "critical enough" of the criminals responsible for the desecration depicted in his photographs- in a word, I was wrong. There's no way he could continue to have the access he needs and maintains if he was, in fact, so openly critical. It's up to us to have the sense to notice, and the willingness to act... if only to save ourselves.

Antonio Olmos- The Landscape Of Murder

Photo: Antonio Olmos

Of course, everything has been done and there is nothing new to photograph anymore. And that's fairly true... 99.99% of the time. And the following is definitely not the exception to the rule- I can name at least three other instances in which similar work has been done, each of them brilliant in their own right... as-is-this!  I've posted on Eva Leitolf's moving and eloquent work quite a few times, Joel Sternfeld's similar interpretation with On This Site, and then there's the photographer (whose name I don't recall) that did wide angle, B&W pinhole photographs of places where people were murdered back in the early '80s (a truly eerie essay of commonplace imagery). I've also seen a variety of series done on roadside descansos which have ranged from fairly impressive to mostly readily forgettable.

Interactive Map of Murder Sites

What this particular project does show is what a little (make that a lot of) imagination can do applied to the very simplest of premises, even those that have already been done (and done well). For most photographers it's hard enough to properly photograph what is clearly there before them, all the photographers mentioned here also had to effectively cope with photographing... what's not there! Antonio Olmos is a professional photojournalist, one who (like everyone else) is constantly seeking out new ideas and projects. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much upon first viewing, maybe a couple of good shots among a cast of supporting mediocrities; what I got instead was a series of solid images with hardly a weak link amongst them- moving, compelling images that draw you in with their composition, lighting and stirring emotional impact. This is brilliant work, both in concept and execution!

Most documentary projects are just that, falling well short of any artistic pretense, the converse can also be true- the most highly touted documentary projects can offer such beautifully aestheticized images that the subject matter takes second place, almost to the point of exclusion (think Salgado, Koudelka, etc). Neither is the case here, as beautiful (even 'serene') as so many of these photographs are, one never loses sight of what they are documenting; instead, their inherent beauty helps draw attention towards emphasizing the content. This is what the best photodocumentary does- publicize, depict and explain to an ill informed public the nature of the subject, its causes, and its consequent aftermath(s)... and do so in a unique, informative and visually compelling manner.

        The Landscape of Murder is one very late and very welcomed addition to this year's must get, must have photo book list.

Photo: Antonio Olmos

If You Haven't Seen...

Eva Leitolf's gorgeous (and informative) photos and interview, you have another chance @ Bag News Notes...

A Coupla Books And A Gallery

Stopped over at Carte Blanche gallery the other day to check what was on the walls (always something good) as well as the bookshelves (likewise). I finally made my way over to this rather unattractive looking book with an ugly, blurry cover that I had purposely saved for last due to its unappealing appearance, and discovered it was none other than the much touted Redheaded Peckerwood.

To be perfectly honest, if I was still making twice what I make now- I would have bought it. Once past the cover, I could at least understand what all the talk was about- it's not so much a photography book, as it is an "art" book. Thematically based on the killers featured in Badlands, it contains drawings, lists, historical documentation, and various inserts and fold outs- in addition to Christian Patterson's fine art photographs and occasional illustrative kitsch. Peckerwood goes the extra mile for a total "art experience," and from the reviews- it most definitely seems to have succeeded. This concept is certainly not new when it comes to other books in the art realm, in photography, a bit less so. Jim Goldberg has attempted more personal, multifaceted approaches in several of his book projects, as has Bill Burke in I Want To Take Picture, and Mine Fields- and I'm sure they're not the only two examples. Based on its critical success, you can bet Redheaded Peckerwood will serve as a template for further photographic exploration in books to come...

What really caught my eye however, was the wonderfully understated Road Ends In Water by Eliot Dudik. Comprised mostly of rural landscapes in South Carolina, it has a very serene presence, a tranquility that perhaps belies a certain sense of unease and underlying tension. Although photographed to document these environs before the consequences of development, a lot of the isolated areas depicted look like they were made to hide whatever one would want to bury deep and forgotten. Perhaps Eva Leitolf's photographs have scarred me for life from ever relaxing when immersed in tranquil environments and imagery. Nevertheless, isn't the photo of a spendidly large and graceful multi-armed tree covered with Spanish Moss named The Hanging Tree?

Despite my "misgivings," these photographs by Eliot Dudik demand to be seen- over and over again, if only for their beauty.