Walter Niedermayr: Recollection

Hatje Cantz | 2011 | 9783775727389

Text in English and Arabic

Walter Niedermayr (born 1952) is among Europe's finest contemporary photographers, a virtuoso in the portrayal of contemporary architecture and Alpine landscapes whose subtle handling of scale, diffuse light effects and desaturated colour has been much imitated in recent years.

Between 2005 and 2008, Niedermayr traveled in Iran, visiting Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz and other smaller cities and historical sites. His travels spurred the undertaking of a new series examining Iranian architecture in its cultural and historical context. The resulting photographs reveal a wild mingling of east and west as older buildings jostle with colourful billboards, ring-roads and apartment blocks that look as if they could be located anywhere in the world.

The majestic, pale colour composition of these photographs transports them far beyond mere documentary, towards a sense of tremendous scale and implied political narrative. Recollection was developed by Niedermayr in close collaboration with its designers and publisher, and features multiple gatefold pages with stunning panoramic images.