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Kent Rogowski

Bears Hardcover – April 1, 2007

by Kent Rogowski (Author)

4 ratings

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Bears, the first book by Kent Rogowski, is a series of portraits of the most unusual sort: ordinary teddy bears that have been turned inside out and restuffed. Each animal's appearance is determined by the necessities of the manufacturing process. Simple patterns and devices never meant to be seen are now prominent physical characteristics, giving each one a distinctly quirky personality: their fasteners become eyes, their seams become scars, and their stuffing creeps out in the most unexpected places. Together these images form a topology of strange yet oddly familiar creatures. They are at once hideous yet cuddly, disturbing yet endearing, absurd yet adorable, while offering a metaphor for us all to consider. These bears, which have lived and loved and lost as much as their owners, have suffered and endured through it all. It is by virtue of revealing their inner core might we better understand our own.

Print length

72 pages
Language

English
Publisher

powerHouse Books
Publication date

April 1, 2007
Dimensions

8.24 x 0.47 x 10.27 inches
ISBN-10

1576873730
ISBN-13

978-1576873731
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delightfully absurd..."-Steven Heller, The New York Times

If Hannibal Lecter, Martin Margiela and a blind speed freak had a three-way in a Build-A-Bear workshop, these creatures would be their mutant offspring.-Sarah Verdone, Paper Magazine

"Though the subjects of these portraits...aren't human, they seem to exude as much personality and feeling as any living, breathing thing."Jen Trolio, Readymade Magazine

Rife with nostalgia and allusions to consumerism, childhood and sentimentality, among other heady topics, Bears... becomes a meditation on its subject.-Ami Kealoha, Cool Hunting

"Part scientist, part sorcerer, Rogowski re-animates the bears as haunting reminders of childhood's complexities."-Blyth Sheldon, V Magazine

About the Author

Kent Rogowski received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he is now a critic. He also teaches photography at The Pratt Institute. His first monograph, Bears, was published by powerHouse books in 2007. He has had solo shows in New York at both the Foley Gallery and the Jen Bekman Gallery. His first European solo show opened at the In Focus Gallery in Cologne, Germany in 2009.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ powerHouse Books; First Edition, First Printing (April 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 72 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1576873730
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1576873731
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.24 x 0.47 x 10.27 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,594,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,384 in Sculpture Appreciation
- #4,639 in Portrait Photography
- #4,814 in Photo Essays (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4 ratings

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Kent Rogowski

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Kent Rogowski received his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he is now a critic. He also teaches photography at The Pratt Institute. His first monograph, Bears, was published by powerHouse books in 2007. He has had solo shows in New York at both the Foley Gallery and the Jen Bekman Gallery. His first European solo show opened at the In Focus Gallery in Cologne, Germany in 2009.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

4 global ratings

5 star		45%
4 star		26%
3 star		29%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Silver Squash

Good coffee table book but could be improved

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2010

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book as an impulse buy because I saw a posting on [...] giving it rave reviews.

I liked the pictures in this book, and consider the idea of turning a teddy bear inside out to be quite novel. However, I noticed that there were no "before/after" pictures, as in I couldn't see what the original bears looked like!
I could have sworn one of the alleged bears was Elmo from Sesame Street, but I cannot verify this!

I like this book because it's a nice conversation starter. I can leave this book out, and at a party or something, two people can pick it up, look through it, talking about which bear is their favorite, and then bam, a conversation has been started. Other than that, I'd recommend trying to find this book at a public library.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 26, 2007

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. It's artistic and slightly disturbing.

My favorite images are the ones with electronic boxes and air bladders still attached to them.

My only gripe is I wish that there had been an index or captions identifying what the bear was before being flipped inside out.

3 people found this helpful

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Mike Child

Amazing new look at our comfort icons

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 11, 2014

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Not a book for those too attached to the toy bear, the traditional cuddly toy is shown to have a different side by turning them inside out ..... Amazingly the resultant creatures evoke more feelings than the original bears , this time sympathising with the items themselves and their conditions rather than playing with the more traditional sugary sentiments we lavish, unrealistically, on them.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 28, 2007

Verified Purchase

I have to say I love this book! I was skeptical at first, but so glad I decided to buy it. The portraits are startlingly beautiful. Definitely worth having.

3 people found this helpful

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