Customer Reviews

Fictions

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anthony Goicolea, born 1971, is a Cuban American photographer who lives in Brooklyn, NY whose third book FICTIONS continues his exploration of the vulnerable minds and imaginations and need of puberal boys. The book is an amalgam of photographs and drawings, combining the two media as well as an artist working today. In his previous books he very successfully used himself as his model, creating single and group self portraits that displayed an imagination rich in depth and in the ability to stage stories. Though in FICTIONS Goicolea does not use himself as a model, his approach to photographic composition as changed little. These models are all young men who seem to be captured in the act of obscure rituals, reminding the viewer of the feeling of 'Lord of the Flies'. There are staged baptisms in pools of water, gatherings before fires (each model identically dressed), intimate moments of physical relationships, kissing in the mystery of monlight, creating iconic images together, etc.

What makes Anthony Goicolea's art so magnetic is the element of presentation to the viewer: there is no defined story here, no meaning offered. The tableaux are meant to be explained by the viewer. It is work of this kind that challenges the imagination and requests that we, the viewer, participate in the process of making art. It is up to us to define or complete each image with our perception. Grady Harp, September 2010

Anthony Goicolea's third volume of photographs, "Fictions" is a 188-page coffee-table book of distinctive images drawn from boys engaged in a variety of often obscure activities and rituals. A fascinating browse, these are full color images that are as engaging as they are intriguing, provoking the reader to thoughtful speculation and imaginative reflection. A 'must' for Anthony Goicolea fans, "Fictions" is a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Photography & Art collections.