Crossing Over. [last day/this too shall pass]

Crossing Over. By Yanina Shevchenko. The Velvet Cell, 2013. 24 pp., illustrated throughout, 16,5x24cm. Limited edition of 300 copies. Images from here.

Book description:

"In March 2012 Yanina Shevchenko travelled from one end of Russia to the other and back again on the trans-siberian railway in a bid to discover for herself the true nature of her homeland.

In the space of two weeks she spent a total of twelve days onboard, mingling with her fellow travellers and watching the Russian landscape unfold itself from her carriage window.

Born in Volgograd of Russian-Belorussian descent, Yanina was motivated to unearth what 'Russianess' meant and whether it existed as a single entity from one end of the motherland to the other. What she encountered and discovered about Russia, and thus about herself, is documented in her book of writings and photography 'Crossing Over'."

Mandala. [today is joy]

Mandala. By Bill Armstrong, introduction by Katherine Ware. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2008. 44 pp., illustrated throughout, 9x9". Images from here.

Book description:

" 'The Mandalas are meant to be meditative pieces - glimpses into a space of pure color, beyond our focus, beyond our ken. Their essential purpose is to create a sense of transcendence, of radiance, of pure joy', Bill Armstrong writes about this series. 'Through abstraction, simplification and blur, I hope to create a context for the exploration of broad spiritual themes that, rather than relying on a codified system, remains open and invites the viewer’s personal interpretation'.

Like other portfolios in his series Infinity, Armstrong’s mandalas are made from collages he creates and then photographs with the camera’s focusing ring set on infinity. He then creates chromogenic prints from the resultant negatives.

By taking an out-of-focus photograph, the artist concentrates not on detailed form and subject but on the rich, saturated colors that shift and pulsate in relation to one another, inviting an inquiry into the interconnectedness of all things.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Photo Mandalas: Bill Armstrong and Milan Fano Blatny. Curated by Kathrine Ware. Julien Levy Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, September 6, 2008 - January, 2009."