The books by Ricardo Cases. "Donde pasear es como visitar una tienda de dulces"
For the Author of the Month column we interviewed Ricardo Cases (Orihuela, 1971), photographer, teacher and vibrant soul of the Valencian and Madrid photographic cultural scene.
After a happy meeting in 2023 on the occasion of Paris Photo, we remained very attached to his work, and above all to his prolific and interesting editorial activity, which is expressed both through publication with large publishing houses such as Dalpine and Mack Books, and - in a truly exuberant and significant way - through the independent activity conducted with his Fiestas Ediciones with which he produces fanzines and artist's books, which in ever different ways present and expand on his photographic art.
Here is the interview and below is a list of Ricardo Cases' titles in our online catalogue and in the bookshop. Enjoy reading :)
THE INTERVIEW:
LM: Could you tell us about your use of colour and where does this fascination come from (if you can trace an origin)?
It seems to us that your practice is expressed through a pop language with surrealist and avant-garde traits.
As for my language, it certainly has to do with a combative inclination towards the photographic image: my practice is the continuous search for a dreamlike photo, that surely does not exist but which always keeps me restless and excited.
And also in what way can the photographer be useful within the social context and can implement actions that involve and stimulate community participation?
I think photography can be a document that offers a new perspective on a place, a society and a time and from this perspective it could have an interesting function.
How do you conceive the book-object and what does it mean for you to create and spread it?
LM: Is there anything that you feel has never yet been photographed and done in book form that you would love to be the one to do?
LM: Would you like to tell us three of your favorite books, or books that have been important to you in your education?
LM: Do you have a project you're working on for future publication?
Cases books available on our website:
-Autorretrato - Original edition of 25 copies by the artist, signed, Valencia, 2022
-El Ficus del Parterre - Exhibition catalogue, GVA Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana, 2023
-El Ficus del Parterre - Original edition of 25 copies by the artist, Valencia, 2021
-Garaje Astoria - Original edition of 50 copies by the artist, signed, Valencia, 2020
-ITALIA - Original edition of 25 copies by the artist, signed and dated, Valencia, 2022
-Madrid - Original edition of 25 copies by the artist, signed and dated, Valencia, 2021
-Paellas y Coches - First edition edited by the artist, signed and dated in pen on the last page, Valencia, 2021
-Paloma al aire - Edited by the Artist, Third Edition Valencia, 2017
-Sol - Dalpine, Madrid, 2017 - First Edition
-Camiones II - Novedades Casino, Valencia, 2021
“His photographic work focuses on the yearnings of the human being: the deep and universal longings of the citizen of the mass society, fighting against banality in an effort to transcend, confronting his own dignity with a medium always untrustworthy. To this end, he turns his eye to expressions of contemporary folklore, looking for the truth of the Spaniard: a townsman who is forced to live in the city, in modernity. Beyond a pop appearance distant and cynical he is interested in what is human and anthropological. Beyond the social and documentary, he searches for the truthful and universal pulsations beating beneath the banal surface often kitsch and lacking glamour of contemporary Spain.” (Luis López Navarro).