FRANCESCA SERAVALLE CURATOR


ALEX & ME BY JAMES PFAFF

Photo, Words, Painting and Memorabilia by James Pfaff
Curated by Francesca Seravalle
Designed by James Pfaff & Francesca Seravalle
Book published by Danilo Montanari Editore in June 2016
blog: www.jamespfaffsalexandme.com

Every book is hand painted by the author.

"Ever been changed by someone?
In the summer of 1998 I met Alex.
Soon afterwards we travelled together through North America. For me it was a seminal journey. I did not see it right away but both my world and my photographic vision had been changed.  Almost 2 decades later I decide to revisit our journey and produce a photo book from the surviving photographs and my fading memories. A book about transformation and a gift for Alex
.”
James Pfaff

It’s a tribute to an important broken love, an authentic on the road trip in the US made 17 years ago, never imagined as a book. The book making process would act as an unexpected catalyst for artistic change, giving to James Pfaff the possibility to rebuild and to reapproprate his archive, fractured memories and ephemera using paint, text and original archival items. The book is a scanned reproduction of the original handmade journal, keeping the authentic beauty of the unaltered original components - scratched negatives, dusty original prints - like the wabi sabi aesthetic of the beauty of a broken cup of tea: reflecting the realities of the transience and the imperfections of life. Every book has a hand painted cover.
Francesca Seravalle.


**Best Photobook selection, Erik Kessels, Cosmos, Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, 2016.
**Best Photobook selection, Stefano Stoll, (Images Vevey), 2016.
**Best Photobooks, Bitume Photofest selection, 2016.

Awards

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize - nominated artist, 2019, Alex & Me.

The Emma Herman-Smith Environmental Art Award for an artwork of merit in environmental art, 2018, Alex & Me - Ever Been Changed By Someone?.

Society of Scottish Artists, 121st Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh - selected artist, 2018, Alex & Me - Ever Been Changed By Someone? and Alex & Me - One Day?

Solo exhibitions

GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL (GI) 2018: Alex & Me, Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018.

Group exhibitions/Events

Society of Scottish Artists, Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 2018—2019. (Alex & Me - Ever Been Changed By Someone? and One Day?).

NIDA, International Photography Symposium, Nida, Lithuania, 2018. (Alex & Me - One Day?).

The Nuit de l’Instant 2018, Les Ateliers de l’Image/Centre Photographique Marseille, Printemps de l’Art Contemporain, Marseille, France, 2018. (Alex & Me - One Day?).

The Photobook Exhibition, Athens Photo Festival, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece, 2017. (Alex & Me book).

The 2017 Book Awards, Les Rencontres de la photographie, Atelier De La Mécanique, Arles, France, 2017. (Alex & Me book).

FORMATO LIBeRo, The artist book from Joseph Beuys to Maurizio Cattelan, Museo d' arte Adria e Delta (MAAD), Adria, Italy 2016. (Alex & Me book).

Reviews/Essays/Features/Interviews

Alex & Me. Cartier-Bresson no es un reloj.
Alex & Me - Minigraph/Street Level Photoworks, 2018 Download PDF.
Alex & Me. Photomonitor (Sylvia Grace Borda)
Alex & Me. Der Greif (Alan Eglinton)
Alex & Me. The Scotsman **** review (Susan Mansfield)
Alex & Me. Studio International (David Gibson)
Alex & Me. The List **** review (Neil Cooper)
Alex & Me. Glasgow International (Erifili Gounari)
Alex & Me. British Vogue (Louise Long)
Alex & Me. Photomonitor (Dr. Katherine Parhar)
Alex & Me. La Repubblica
Alex & Me. PHASES MAGAZINE
Alex & Me. NOTES Letters to photography (Dr. Elizabeth Reeder).
Alex & Me. 1000 Words Photography Magazine (Natasha Christia)
Alex & Me. Colin Pantall
Alex & Me. Gabriela Cendoya-Bergareche
Alex & Me. Visual Arts South West (Rowan Lear)