This year 700 applications have been received for the Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. This prestigious international award is the most sought-after and awaited recognition in the field of photography book publishing. Established in 2012, it was created with the intention of enhancing this specific sector, promoting it in the world of professionals and beyond. In fact, the initiative aims to intercept even simple photography enthusiasts and lovers of the most sophisticated books.
A qualified jury of experts gathered for three days at Mana Contemporary to select the 35 finalist books that will compete in the final stage of the award. Among them there is also a book printed by Musumeci "Jardín de mi Padre", competing in the category PhotoBook of the Year.
Signed by Luis Carlos Tovar, it is a journey of the author into childhood memories, when an event changed his life forever. In 1980, when he was only a few months old, his father was kidnapped by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces and held prisoner for months in the Amazon forest. The guerrillas sent the family a polaroid to testify that their loved one was still alive. It is precisely this episode that inspires the retrospective of Luis Carlos Tovar, through collages, letters, X-rays and newspaper cuttings, rendered realistically thanks to the printing processes employed by Musumeci.
The names of the winners will be announced next Friday 13 November.
Jardín de mi Padre, Luis Carlos Tovar, Editorial RM, Barcelona, and Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland.
