We take a look inside the first book by contributors Leonardo Magrelli, exploring the iconic city Los Angeles under the guise of the video game experience.
At first glance the work looks like a classical photographic survey of Los Angeles, following in the footsteps of the many great photographers who worked in that city. But with a closer look, the book reveals more. Cropped and turned to black and white by the author, all the images are originally taken by different users around the world playing Grand Theft Auto V —a video game set in an “open world” scenario that closely resembles Los Angeles and its surroundings. Is it possible to photograph this place? And what does it mean to do so? What light are we writing with? While exploring the possibilities and the meanings of photographing a virtual place, the work addresses further issues, such as the truthfulness of photography and our belief in this medium as a trace of reality.
The edition is also accompanied by two critical texts, written by Britt Salvesen, curator and head of the Photography Department at LACMA in Los Angeles, and Mirjam Kooiman, curator at the Foam Museum in Amsterdam.
West of Here by Leonardo Magrelli, published by Yoffy Press is now available for orders. Hardcover, 9 x 6.5 inches, 80 pages, Edition of 400. Head to our Instagram to win a copy!
