Santa Barbara Shame on US by Alejandro Cartagena. Edition of 450. Published by Skinnerboox, 2017
Alejandro’s second volume, Santa Barbara Shame on US of the Santa Barbara series is a continuation, not a re-mix of the first edition published last year. It is solid. It implies horror and the crumbling cake of Americana, but does so in a way that completely absolves my worry upon publishing that it would be a weaker “leftover” book. I prefer it to the first, but hold both in high esteem. Brad Feuerhelm for Photobookstore books of 2017
When Alejandro saw Santa Barbara’s red tile roofs and stately State Street, the big houses with sea views, he wasn’t fooled. The wealth here is built on quicksand, the pictures in this book are saying, and we better watch out.I’m also drawn to the historical paintings. Given his residency, I’m sure they come from the museum’s collection. But he didn’t shoot the pretty sunset paintings. Rather, we see two executions, recording the very moment before a head was chopped from its body. (Foreshadowing the death of Democracy?) Cheerleaders and beach boys get brief mention, but make no mistake. This is a disquieting group of pictures. It’s not for me to say, whether the first part anticipated the rise of Trump. Certainly, it came out before the election. Ultimately, that’s what art like this does. It screams loudly, “Hey, you fools, look at this. Your world is a tinderbox, and if you don’t get wise quick, it will all burn to ashes. In a flash.” From the text for Santa Barbara Shame on US by Jonathan Blaustein
Other books available: Special Edition Carpoolers, We Love Our Employees, A Guide to Infrastructure and Corruption, Suburbia Mexicana,