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If the model is the exhibitionist, then I am the voyeur.—Richard Kern

Richard Kern is a post-modernist punk photographer who has worked in New York city rock music and “No Wave” art circles since the 1970s. In Looker, through a series of carefully constructed vignettes, Kern’s models proceed through their daily private lives, seemingly unaware of the camera. Or are they wittingly playing into the obvious cinematic intrigue? The balance of control present in each frame is a powerful and sensual statement.

Looker is thought-provoking in its gentle nature, pastoral tones, and caring reflection of private innocence—but it is also freshly and stunningly erotic, silently exuberant in its portrayal of intimacy and abandon. Richard Kern’s photographs are a peek into a world of mystery and eroticism.

		Looker by Geoff Nicholson (Contributor), Richard Kern (Photographer) ISBN-10: 9780810995307 ISBN-10: 0-8109-9530-1 ISBN-13: 9780810995307 ISBN-13: 978-0-8109-9530-7 Hardcover 2008-06-01 Abrams Find Lowest Price
Editorials

Product Description If the model is the exhibitionist, then I am the voyeur.—Richard Kern Richard Kern is a post-modernist punk photographer who has worked in New York city rock music and “No Wave” art circles since the 1970s. In Looker, through a series of carefully constructed vignettes, Kern’s models proceed through their daily private lives, seemingly unaware of the camera. Or are they wittingly playing into the obvious cinematic intrigue? The balance of control present in each frame is a powerful and sensual statement. Looker is thought-provoking in its gentle nature, pastoral tones, and caring reflection of private innocence—but it is also freshly and stunningly erotic, silently exuberant in its portrayal of intimacy and abandon. Richard Kern’s photographs are a peek into a world of mystery and eroticism.
Reviews

an erotic photography classic This is a book that anyone interested in photography will enjoy -- the images are playful, inventive and genuinely erotic, wittily toying with our expectations and luring us in with every page. It's also one of the most beautifully produced photo books I've seen in recent years. A real hit.
Not a Voyeur There's a little bit of the voyeur in all of us. It seems like Richard Kern is in a good position to take advantage of this and provide an excellent collection of photographs. Unfortunately, this book is a bit of a disappointment. Part of the disappointment comes from the simple fact that a professional photographer can't be a true voyeur; or, at least, he can't publish those photographs in a book. Geoff Nicholson hints at this a bit it his opening essay. However, Mr. Nicholson also sets up expectations in his essay about furtively trying to take photographs on the street that are not realized in the photos that follow. That is not to say that there aren't some good photographs in this book. Early photos in a sequence, particularly the photos taken outdoors of a single subject are often quite compelling. They truly seem to capture a person unawares; however, as the sequences go on, and the models get into states of further undress, the pictures are obviously staged, which destroys the voyeuristic quality. In some ways, Mr Kern is trying to capture something next to impossible to capture well. Still, he manages, occasionally, to capture more than I expected. If his focus would be on what he achieved in the earlier part of the photo sequences here, I think he would have been more successful.
Artsy, maybe, but it's NOT particularly erotic! Richard Kern is obviously a talented photographer, but I came away somewhat disappointed with this book. It purports to show young women in candid moments in various stages of undress. But one thing it WASN'T was noticeably erotic. There's an oriental girl shown eating corn-on-the-cob topless. And later she's shown spitting out toothpaste into the sink, also topless. There's a very porno-oriented image of a panty-less girl bending over in a van, exposing her vagina. And another highly un-erotic shot of a girl apparently squatting down in the wilderness to do her business. Also, why the photos of guys in a book supposedly dedicated to showing us beautiful nude women? On the positive side, there are a couple of photos of girls with other girls that I thought promising. And there's another girl shown in an office setting with a hand on her shapely rear end. It would have been a whole lot hotter had it only been a female hand! But overall, I would not have purchased this book had I known how weak the overall content inside actually was. It's needlessly crude, and too many of the models are unattractive or in poses that make them appear so.
random photography The book itself is excellent quality and very nice to look at, with large full-page or even two page spreads. But the what the author is actually going for is a bit more confusing. Looking at the cover of the book, you're expecting a voyeuristic look into the lives of these beautiful women, but the pics seem to be more random than that. The pics go from very normal and boring, to expected voyeur, to highly unrealistic or voyeuristic pics that seem more like softcore pics for a much more adult type of publication. In conclusion, the book is a beautiful hardback with lots of content, I just wish there was more of the voyeur and less of the boring or the over the top, unrealistic content. Sticking to the central theme would have benefitted the book more.