End Time City

by Michael Ackerman

The Indian city of Benares, the holy City of Light on the shores of the Ganges, is one of the oldest cities in the world, and one of the most frequently photographed. In this, his first book, New York photographer Michael Ackerman has created an overwhelming and deeply personal portrait of the city which he visited for the first time in 1991. Eschewing stereotypical representations of Benares, Ackerman's photographs testify to the sensitivity of the personal relationship he forged with the city: intense glances from people in the streets, dreamlike observations of a monkey balancing through electrical wires, moving and dignified images of mourners at the cremation grounds. Working in a variety of formats. Ackerman creates a moving and radically personal portrait of human life and death that transcends the particularities of this ancient city and speaks universally.

135 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 1999

Reviews

[Alfonso de Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una increible selección de fotografías tomadas casi todas en Benares entre 1993 y 1997. El trabajo es espectacular. Fotografías realizadas con película en blanco y negro empleando cámaras Holga, Diana y Leica sus imágenes tienen siempre una densidad y una potencia difícilmente igualables. India bajo el punto de vista de Ackerman se convierte en un lugar soñado, en una pesadilla emocionante.