Book Review: “See Until I See No More” by Isa Marcelli
When looking at photographs, especially in book form over, say, an exhibition, you are exploring and seeking out meaning and familiarity to connect you with the imagery. Do the images move you? Do they elicit a mental or even a physical response? Conversations may start. And then, the best yet, there is an interest in the artist and their aesthetic as a whole, leading to long-ranging discovery. I'm always equating the book experience this way because it feels like the artist's book is a mobile exhibition that you can repeatedly feel at your leisure. So when I find an artist and their book that checks off these boxes, exactly as I did with Isa Marcelli's recent release, See Until I See No More, it moves me to tell others. Hence this very review.
One of the things I like best about Marcelli and her photographs is that I was barely in the know about her activities as a visual artist. This was, for me, a discovery that I'm grateful for. And honestly, I should have expected it because Marcelli's publisher, Skeleton Key Press, keeps me interested in what an artist monograph can accomplish. There feels like a meeting of the minds between publisher and artist with a release like this – as if it was always meant to be. Whatever the case, I find almost every aspect of this book an absolute success. It looks and feels like an object worth coveting. It has weight and a solid feel like it will last generations. The clothbound cover, endpapers, and binding are all impeccable. You will be on point if this sounds like I may have found a recent favorite for my collection. In fact, it's funny to me that I'm mentioning it more as an object and less as a collection of photographs. Don't worry, I've got some words for the images inside. One last note about the details of this particular tome…the weight of the paper for every page is quite heavy, and the most appealing aspect for me is that each one feels like a fine print. It's more like you're looking through a box of prints than turning the pages of a book. This stood out to me immediately and is a profoundly stunning achievement.
Some thoughts on the photographs of See Until I See No More. As I mentioned, I was only slightly familiar with Marcelli as a visual artist, which is most likely because her turn towards photography in 2008 is a more recent one compared to so many others who can bring us something of this magnitude. I found out that her previous efforts were as a furniture designer and mosaic artist, which clearly makes for an artist who brings something a little different to the table after seeing this work. Her processes of choice are wet plate collodion and lith printing–most definitely not for the faint of heart. What floors me with her photographs is that through all the shadowy portraits, still lives, and spaces, is that I lose focus on the process and absorb these images solely as such, creating intimacy with every page. There's something both dark and familiar about so much of this work. These scenes are those that skirt around the fringes of lucid dreams. They pull you in and allow you to linger in their luscious tones. They are both welcoming and dangerous. They are beautiful, frightening, and simply leave me wanting more. The questions they pose I find unanswerable, and I'm in love with that detail. If you think me a fanboy after reading this, you may be right.
I will admit that my fear in this late review is that it may actually be sold out by now. Check out the link here for SKP and find out. If it is, begin your search elsewhere as soon as possible because this is one of those "must-haves" when it comes to your photo book collection. It's worth the effort.
“See Until I See No More” by Isa Marcelli
Published by Skeleton Key Press, April 2023
ISBN 978-82-692410-5-1
20 x 26 cm (7.9 x 10.2 in)
Hardcover (clothbound/tipped-in image/foil stamped), 128 pages, 87 plates
Edited by Isa Marcelli & Russell Joslin; Sequenced by Russell Joslin
Book design by Russell Joslin
Foreword by Reid Masselink
Text in English
First Edition limited to 400 copies
Available for purchase Here!
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Michael Kirchoff is a photographic artist, independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. He has been a juror for Photolucida’s Critical Mass, and has reviewed portfolios for several fine art photographic organizations and non-profits in the U.S. and abroad. Michael has been a contributing writer for Lenscratch, Light Leaked, and Don’t Take Pictures magazine. In addition, he spent ten years (2006-2016) on the Board of the American Photographic Artists in Los Angeles (APA/LA), producing artist lectures, as well as business and inspirational events for the community. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, Founding Editor for the photographer interview site, Catalyst: Interviews, Contributing Editor at One Twelve Publishing, and the Co-Host of The Diffusion Tapes podcast.
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