The magazine of the photo-essay
July 2019 back issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
by Vladimir Antaki
For his series The Guardians, Vladimir Antaki traveled across Europe, the Middle
East and America, photographing and interviewing shopkeepers or ‘Guardians’.
These Guardiansare keepers of what Antaki calls ‘urban temples’, unique spaces
which, in an age of cookie-cutter, corporate shops, hark back to an earlier time
and mode of urban life. Antaki creates visually arresting portraits of the
Guardiansthat make the viewer connect to the beauty of these often forgotten
spaces. Antaki believes that these temples are the heart and soul of every city; they
are what give the urban center its uniqueness in time and place. There is also a duty
of memory associated with these spaces. As so many of them are closing, it falls to
artists such as Antaki to preserve their memory and pay them tribute. The book
includes portraits and statements from 45 shopkeepers and artisans from Beirut,
Berlin, Bordeaux, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Miami, Montréal, New York, Paris,
Philadelphia, Toronto, and Venice Beach.
From the preface by Edward Burtynsky: “Through his photographic survey, Antaki addresses the social value and fragile
nature of individualized work in an increasingly homogenized, consumerist society. In our highly technological era, where the
past is quickly forsaken by a lust for the newest, latest, and greatest, the economic conditions supporting those purveyors of
our quirky cultural ‘heirlooms’ are gradually becoming more tenuous. Work places themselves are increasingly democratized,
depersonalized and scaled-up for the sake of commercial efficiency. The artist sees this, and he responds.
The sitters tell their stories, but also implicit in these images is the close association of each person to the articles they have
surrounded themselves with, which prompts us to consider the psychological relationship between each subject and their
created environment. Antaki steps deeply into the treasured realms of these individuals. With his acute perception of the present
moment and a gentle curiosity he eloquently takes stock, allowing us privileged access to the idiosyncratic wealth of the
Guardians.” Published by Kehrer Verlag
Bill Kasper aka / alias The Birdman, New York City (2013) © Vladimir Antaki
Mehmet Öztekin, Istanbul (2018) © Vladimir Antaki
Curtis Anthony, Philadelphia (2016) © Vladimir Antaki
‘Baba’ Conrad Sarr, Paris (2012) © Vladimir Antaki
Henri Launay, Paris (2015) © Vladimir Antaki
Denise Acabo, Paris (2015) © Vladimir Antaki
Mario Antonio Hernández Escamilla, Mexico (2014) © Vladimir Antaki
Marie Gagné, Montréal (2013) © Vladimir Antaki
Habouba Ishac, Beirut (2013) © Vladimir Antaki
Dominique »Ménick«Perazzino, Montréal (2016) © Vladimir Antaki
