Primitives [Paperback]

Charles Gatewood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2002

One of the earliest and most important documents recording the modern primitive subculture. Offering views of sexual exploration and body modifications such as piercings and tattoos in a non-judgmental and illuminating way, Primitives is a glimpse into the life of this culture in its infancy. It is a family album, social document, and work of art that will appeal to aesthetically liberal and adventurous adults of all ages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Very influential subculture photographer

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp; 2nd edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867195274
• ISBN-13: 978-0867195279
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,991,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars take the left hand path again with Charles Gatewood, April 21, 2002

By 

Rae Schwarz "post-modern Renaissance woman" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Primitives (Paperback)

For those of you who may have missed it the first time around, here is the beautiful second edition printing of PRIMITIVES. First released in 1992, no one had ever seen anything like Gatewood's collection of black and white portraits before, depicting such a wide range of body art and individual expression.

Schooled as an anthropologist, Gatewood has fused his education with his love of photography, and has followed and documented U.S. subcultures for the past three decades.

Portraits include many (now) well-known figures: father of Modern Primitivism Fakir Musafar, London tattooist Alex Binnie, performance artist Ron Athey, piercer Elayne Binnie, writer/performer Lily (then Braindrop) Burana. Sadly several portraits are now memorials: writer Marco Vassi, Sailor Sid, sideshow performer Michael Wilson.

The reproduction values of Gatewood's duotones are good in this edition, there is a new color cover photo, and a new introduction by Gatewood.