Hester Keijser (NL, 1967) is an independent curator and author in photography. She works with select photographers and organisations on exhibitions, presentations, lectures, workshops and portfolio reviews, most recently for Photo España (ES), Format Festival (UK), Parallel Platform (PT/EU) and Bonniers Konsthall (SE). She currently serves as an advisor for the Dutch Mondriaan Fund.

“The main point of making a book is getting lost”

The contemporary photo book, despite appearing old school, has proven to thrive in the digital age. Yet what makes the contemporary photo book so suitable for social media at the same time constitutes one of its biggest dangers. As Stephen Gill observed a few years ago: ’the main point of making a book is getting lost’.

What does it say about our relationship with the photo book, if most of the talk is about going viral, winning awards, and finding the right publishers and reviewers? Is the work itself no longer found in the photographs, but in something else of an entirely different nature? What type of labor do we perform when we engage with the photo book and what other types of engagement are left? These and other questions regarding the reception of the photo book will be addressed by Keijser in her talk.