Joan Fontcuberta : Poems of the Alchemist ; poemas del Alquimista

Photography may seem to stop time in its tracks, but time ends up taking revenge. This is the hypothesis that Joan Fontcuberta explores in this work in which, like an alchemist, he conjures fascinating new images from the decaying impressions left on old glass plates.
Joan Fontcuberta celebrates here the centenary of Josep Palau i Fabre (1917-2008), whose masterpiece, Poemas del Alquimista, was written in exile in France and published illegally in Spain. Following in Palau’s wake, Fontcuberta immersed himself in various photographic archives in search of denascent images, turning them around and bringing them back to life transformed into something else.
Between experimentation and essay, Fontcuberta’s photography, like the poetry of Josep Palau i Fabre, exhales the tragic unease of existence, which can only be redeemed by imagination, irony and eroticism.
64P. Is a series of photo essays, in which internationally acclaimed photographers affirm the value of concision. A series in which the short form goes along way. (Note de l’éditeur) ; photos en n.b. et en couleurs.