Click here for the presale of the numbered ltd. edition of Ordinary People
Ordinary People is the first retrospective book by photographer Rob Hornstra and offers a new look at his work, using his so far unexposed categorical working method, to build bridges between the different series. The book will be launched during a solo exhibition at the Fotomuseum Den Haag, starting on December 9, 2023.
During his career, Rob Hornstra has garnered international acclaim for his socially engaged projects, such as 101 Billionaires, The Sochi Project and Man Next Door. In the rich tradition of humanist photography - which includes masters such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and Ed van der Elsken - he focuses on painting a human image of his own time.
“Zelfs de gewone levensloop waar de foto’s in Ordinary People aan refereren – kind, tiener, volwassene, oudere – krijgt bij nader (nee langer) inzien iets bevreemdends. Kijk maar hoe de gladde gezichten van kinderen langzaam overgaan in de bedrukte hoofden van volwassenen, en die bedrukte hoofden in de gelaten groeven van ouderen. Ik kan er eindeloos naar blijven kijken, en het verbaast me alleen maar meer.”
—Lynn Berger, schrijver
For 20 years, Hornstra has been working through a self-defined list of categories that acts as a roadmap while producing new work. The inspiration for this is the German photographer August Sander (1876-1964), who started documenting the German people within certain ‘types’ at the beginning of the last century and compiled them in his book Anlitz der Zeit (1929).
The book Ordinary People is a hybrid book that balances between a substantial retrospective catalogue and a conceptual artist book. It provides a surprising insight into the twenty-year oeuvre of an impassioned photographer.
“Waar de portretten van Sander gekenmerkt worden door hun statische uitstraling, voelt het bij Hornstra alsof hij modellen terloops tegenkomt. Alsof ze maar even opkijken van waar ze mee bezig zijn – een vis schoonmaken, huiswerk maken, een biertje drinken - en toevallig oogcontact met de camera maken. Het is deze alledaagsheid waar de kracht van Hornstra’s werk in schuilt.”
—Willemijn van der Zwaan, curator
Text contributions by Lynn Berger, Merel Bem, Joerg Colberg and Willemijn van der Zwaan
Publisher: Lannoo
Design: Kummer & Herrman
Lithography: Marc Gijzen
Hardcover: 320 pp
Dimensions: 255 x 200 x 30 mm
Bilingual: Nederlands / English
Price: 55 euro
ISBN: 978 94 014 9711 4
This is a pre-sale. The book will be launched on 8 December during the exhibition opening at Fotomuseum Den Haag. Shipping will take place in the days following the opening.
