Aabuku — Moe Suzuki. Self-Published.
The subtle texture of small bubbles imprints the dust jacket of Aabuku by Japanese photographer Moe Suzuki. The multiplicity of references to water, molecules, puffy clouds, the rain cycle, particulates, and toxic fluffy foam begins with the cover and slowly weaves its way throughout the entire artist book, where Suzuki examines the impact of PFAS, "Forever Chemicals," polluting land and water in Okinawa. Drawing from years of meticulous research and personal recollections of those connected to these environments, Suzuki creates a visual narrative of fragmented memories and scientific data, highlighting the invisible yet lasting harm caused by contamination from U.S. military bases on the island. Beautifully done and another strong photobook affiliated with Reminders Photography Stronghold and Yumi Goto.
Larissa Leclair is the founder of the Indie Photobook Library and a dedicated advocate for self-published photobooks since 2010. She is also an independent photography collector and has placed works in the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American History Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book Library, among others. She resides in Arlington, Virginia.