Meat, Fish & Aubergine Caviar
Alex Blanco
£28
An intimate story reflecting on Ukrainian and Odesan culture through the prism of food and family, that is intrinsically a self-portrait of someone wrecked by childhood traumas. Through a period spent in close quarters with her parents in Odesa, photography became a means for Alex to communicate and connect with her mum and dad during a difficult time in their lives. She took pictures day-to-day, at home and in the street markets, while also creating a utopian universe through her lens — where life is beautiful and her parents become their dream selves in front of the camera. Meat, Fish & Aubergine Caviar embraces the complexity of family dynamics through mutual experience and visceral revelations.
Alex’s mum Yevheniia shares three of her most infamously delicious recipes, in detail, and the book’s wire-bound format is inspired by community-made cookbooks that are meant to be shared amongst friends and neighbours.
FIRST EDITION Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 120 pages
Wire-bound with wraparound printed paper covers, handmade elements
91 photographs and illustrations
November 2023 | ISBN: 9781738130009
NOW SHIPPING!
Description
Ukrainian culture and cuisine are exposed in vibrant photographs of colourful vegetables and meanderings through Odesa’s outdoor food markets. We glimpse into the intimate world of Blanco’s parents’ daily lives and rituals — lured into enjoying a simple, sometimes idle life with humour, and an importance to preparing and sharing meals with family. The couple spend their days cooking, making outings to Odesa’s beaches on the Black Sea for sunbathing, all the while comfortably posing for their daughter’s camera. Recipes are highly recommended to try!
Design by Tiffany Jones
The Author
Alex Blanco (b. 1988, Ukraine) currently lives in the Netherlands. She holds a Master’s degree in Film & Photographic Studies from Leiden University and completed a photography semester at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Her passion lies in creating emotionally charged, cinematic images that resonate with her personal memories. www.alexblanco.nl
Reviews + Press
[Blanco’s work] “is akin to deconstructing an onion; a series that emphasises the many layers that must be peeled back to understand the greater truth of a given situation; a layered exploration of cultural identity and personal memory with family dynamics at its core.” – Ellie Howard, BJP Ones to Watch 2021
Special Notes
**Selected: 7 Noteworthy Photobooks from Polycopies 2023** – by Francesco Colombelli, Il Giornale dell’Arte (Italy)
November 8-12 – Advance copies launch in Paris at Polycopies 2023
