23,5 x 17 cm
224 pages
Hardback cover with metallic ring coloured gold
Publication date: May 2018
Thomas Kuijpers’ Gesture project investigates the handshakes of political leaders and other authority figures as circulated in the news media. Using press images as his source material, Kuijpers carefully selects from these particular scenes, reworking the images into an illustrated series of handshakes that got analysed by body-language experts on hidden communicative signals enclosed in these physical connections. The string of companions and enemies’ handshakes gives insight in both the functions of public images and photojournalism as a medium, as well as in their political use. The publication collects all the pieces of the series Gesture and the correspondence between the artist and some body-language experts.
The book it is the result of a collaboration between Metronom (Modena) and Fotopub Festival (Novo Mesto), where Thomas Kuijpers was awarded with Metronom Book Award 2017.
Thomas Kuijpers (1985, The Netherlands) He is based in Ghent, Belgium.
Thomas Kuijpers explores the role of contemporary media narratives within our perception of the actual world. Educated as a photographer, he got interested in the representation and communication of truth. He presented his work at international institutions such as Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt (2018); Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, (2018); Foam Museum, Amsterdam (2017); Museum Arnhem, Netherlands (2016); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2014); MASP, Sao Paulo (2013); Kunsthal, Rotterdam (2011). He has participated in Biel Festival of Photography, Bienne CH (2018); Fotopub Festival, Novo Mesto SLO (2017); Krakow Photomonth Festival (2016); Art Weekender, Bristol (2015); B.A.D., Brussels (2015). In 2017 he won the MBA (Metronom Book Award) and was selected by FOAM Magazine as FOAM Talent. He received the Grolsch Unseen Residency Prize (2017), was one of the artists selected for Plat (t) form, Winterthur (2018) and took part in Chi Utopia Mangia le Mele (2018) exhibition, a collateral event of ArtVerona Fiera d 'Arte.
