Sons of the Living — Bryan Schutmaat. Published by Trespasser.
I have a feeling that I will only be adding a droplet of mist into the ocean of praise for this book. And my yearly desire (which I always repress) to choose a more obscure title as my number one felt especially disingenuous. The body of work is a deep look at America, its wide-open spaces, forgotten corners, and rugged people. I can smell the dust. There’s a ‘Blood Meridian’ vibe, with a dash of ‘Dust Bowl Ballads’ - and that’s the highest praise I can conjure.
Ed Templeton (b.1972) is an American painter and photographer whose work reflects human behavior with emphasis on youth subcultures, religious affectation, and suburban conventions using a cinéma vérité approach embracing chance encounters. A respected cult figure in the subculture of skateboarding, Templeton is a two-time world-champion, and a Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee. He is best known for his photographic books and multimedia exhibitions. His work has been exhibited in museums worldwide including MOCA, Los Angeles, ICP, NYC, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Kunsthalle, Vienna, Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco. His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, SMAK Museum Belgium, Orange County Museum of Art, Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht.