Jan Kempenaers - Spomenik [Hardcover]

Jan Kempenaers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

During the 1960s and 70s, thousands of monuments commemorating the Second World War called 'Spomeniks' were built throughout the former Yugoslavia; striking monumental sculptures, with an angular geometry echoing the shapes of flowers, crystals, and macro-views of viruses or DNA. In the 1980s the Spomeniks still attracted millions of visitors from the Eastern bloc; today they are largely neglected and unknown, their symbolism lost and unwanted. Antwerp-based photographer Jan Kempenaers travelled the Balkans photographing these eerie objects, presented in this book as a powerful typological series. The beauty and mystery of the isolated, crumbling Spomeniks informs Kempenaer's enquiry into memory, found beauty, and whether former monuments can function as pure sculpture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 68 pages
• Publisher: Roma Publications (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9077459502
• ISBN-13: 978-9077459508
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Under-appreciated masterpieces February 19, 2012

By Vuk

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having grown up in that part of the world, I remember as a child being taken to "spomeniks" on school field trips. It is only as an adult that I have come to appreciate their artistic content and stunning beauty. They stand as commemoration to the all too many lost in war's fury, as reminders of the terrible toll that wars have taken in the Balkans. And yet they offer hope, showing that humans are capable of sublime expression in the face of immense tragedy. I applaud Jan Kempenaers's aesthetic vision, but lament that he has chosen to marginalize the authors of these masterpieces by treating them only as visual objects. But most of all, I lament that they stand in silent ruin today when their message is so desperately needing to be heard.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars lost in the mountains August 11, 2011

By Bob

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The artists showed marvelous vision. The book itself would have benefited by including more information about the artists and their work.

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars OVER PRICED May 2, 2012

By MO

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book has 68-pages, 27 of them are blank, 6 are used as thumbnails. Only 26 pages of full page photos. The author could have spent more time looking for structures.