MATTHEW SLEETH
Opfikon is Matthew Sleeth’s most seductive book of photographs to date. Designed by acclaimed Melbourne designer Fabio Ongarato, the large format and typography of Opfikon reference Swiss poster design. The images in the book, photographed in an apparently idyllic outer suburb of Zurich called Opfikon, initially dazzle and enchant us with their storybook charm. Dappled leaves, horses in stables, primary coloured children’s furniture, a plethora of gnomes, crisp winter skies and sun filled summery days.
A life of precise order and harmony is presented. Yet a certain menace and unease fills these large delicious images. As in a children’s story something appears to lurk beneath this surface perfection. Sleeth creates an atmosphere, which might best be described as a kind of suburban gothic. We cannot quite pinpoint the source of this discomfort, which assails us even as we delight in the lush light saturated images.
Published by M.33, Melbourne 2004
48 pages / Hard Cover
335 x 380mm
Edited by Helen Frajman,
Designed by Fabio Ongarato
SORRY NOW OUT OF PRINT