If you want to gain an understanding of contemporary America, you should read Teju Cole’s novels, essays and New York Times column. And if you want to get a new perspective on the world, you should take a look at his photographs. Cole does not capture the typical sights on his travels, and there’s more to his images than your typical Insta-friendly snaps. Published by Mack, Cole’s new book “Fernweh” brings together photos taken across Switzerland – from Ticino and Lake Geneva to Graubünden – over a period of five years. Cole juxtaposes images of empty hotel rooms, bus stops, dusty antique shops and viewing platforms with text fragments from Karl Baedeker’s “Switzerland: Handbook for Travelers”, an 1844 travel guide that made the Baedeker name synonymous with mass tourism amongst German speakers. With every click on the shutter release, Cole furthers his enquiry into how we can capture the essence of places so permeated by both history and picture postcard ideals. This volume is a thoughtful and much-needed visual escape. (Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Teju Cole, images from Fernweh – courtesy of the artist & Mack)
“Fernweh” by Teju Cole (2020, Mack).
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