Oh, Europe.
Armand Quetsch, who a few years ago with ›ephemera‹ has already presented a very peculiar and very extraordinary book, has traveled the continent. The original plan for ›Dystopian Circles‹ was a trip from Brussels to the edge - to Lampedusa. It became a perennial odyssey. Obersalzberg, Sarajevo, Athens. Brussels, Nordhausen, Zagreb. Belgrade, Reggio Calabra. The fort of Srebrenica, the Heysel Stadium. Places that are charged with European history.
Only that Armand Quetsch does not tell us. He does not work in a documentary way. He has traveled to reside in the landscapes, to feel their spirit, to make images which, without words, convey an echo of history and a sense of the present situation. Each for itself and especially in the sequence.
In addition to the history, the dramatic developments of the past few years are inscribed in the pictures. Financial crisis, refugee drama, nationalism. Insecurity, perplexity, despair.
The book is dark and cold, but does not prescribe a reading. It is a view of our continent filled with anxiety and anger, which in fantastic pictures leaves room for ideals and utopias.
Oh, Europe. That´s what you might need now.