Catholic Girl — Andrea Modica. Published by L’Artiere Edizioni.
Catholic Girl offers what I hope to find in a photo book: a surprising window into a world that's gone or unknown. These black and white, large format portraits of divine, youthful feminine energy take on the air of sacred collection in this neat little format housed in a delicate box. Modica made the pictures in 1984 when she was not much older than the subjects themselves. I'm always astounded by the creative power that exists at this time in a young person's life. The innocence of the photographs is uncommon and refreshing. It's harder to achieve such purity now given the sped-up nature and proliferation of the image. With the book's precious design and the quality of the images you get a super special treat.
Claire Cichy was born in San Francisco and lives in Fairfax, California. She is Director of TBW Books in Oakland. She worked previously at Hatje Cantz Verlag in Berlin and Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. Her love of art was nurtured during her undergraduate studies at NYU.