In Handbook of the Spontaneous Other, Aikaterini Gegisian brings together a diverse range of found photographic material produced in Western Europe and the USA during the 1960s and 1970s. The book is composed of a series of 64 collages. It playfully reworks images from popular culture sourced from pornographic magazines, tourist catalogues and National Geographic spreads. The collages subvert the way that the body, nature and pleasure were represented in Western capitalist fantasies.
The book follows a narrative of colour and sensation. The nine chapters aim to go beyond the confines of popular culture.
Biographies
Shoair Mavlian
Shoair Mavlian is director of Photoworks and was named Apollo Magazine’s 40 under 40 Europe – Thinkers. As director of Photoworks she curated 'Ursula Schulz-Dornburg, Zone Grise / The Land In between' for the MEP – Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris (2019) and' A New Europe, Brighton Photo Biennial' (2018).
Aikaterini Gegisian
Aikaterini Gegisian is an artist of Greek-Armenian heritage. Building on her contribution to the Armenian Pavilion, 56th Venice Biennale (2015 Golden Lion for best national participation), she has over the past three years developed a series of new commissions exploring the role of images in the construction of national and gender identities.
