Grade Solomon, Twist

JTF (just the facts): Co-published in 2024 by Pomegranate Press (here) and Secret Riso Club. Softcover, loop-staple bound, 60 pages (8.5 x 11 inches). Includes an essay by Isabella Haid. In an edition of 300 copies. Design by Jesse Feinman. (Cover and spread shots below.)

Comments/Context: Twist is the new publication by the Korean-American artist Grade Solomon, released by Pomegranate Press in collaboration with Secret Riso Club. In his artistic practice, Solomon looks for “a paradoxical beauty in the collapse of the natural, and the decay of the industrial,” with themes of longing and isolation often dominating his work. Solomon describes his inspirations as “recurring dreams, distant memories, and emotional experiences such as love, loss, and discomfort.” He initially got into photography through skateboarding with friends, and in 2022 he graduated with a BFA in photography from VCUarts. 

Twist is a slim loop-staple bound zine of a medium size. A photograph of a young man standing on a cliff looking out towards a body of water, either dancing or moving his body to throw a rock, takes up the entire cover, offering a gentle and also meditative introduction. Inside, the photographs slightly vary in their sizes, and there are no page numbers or captions, focusing all of our attention on the visual flow. The beautiful riso printing of the zine immediately stands out, its gold on black paper combination bringing out rich nuances of texture and color in the pictures. Overall, the tactile element of this photobook object feels particularly important, heightening our interaction with the photographs.

Twist brings together images Solomon took between 2019 and the present, while traveling between various states, “the half-lived and the half-imagined.” He consistently turns mundane moments into captivating shots, the scenes captured in his photographs ranging from enchanting landscapes to decaying industrial structures and clashing cars, all enveloped in a hazy and dreamlike atmosphere. The opening photograph shows a silhouette standing in water, as both the direction of the glare of the sunlight and the shadow align with the body. This is followed by the spread that pairs a shot of a field touched by a patch of sunlight and an image of an extended palm open to catch a similar spot of light. This smart use of light is then amplified by the printing in gold, makes the atmosphere even more magical.

Solomon’s photographs often center on elusive themes of solitude and longing, seeming to explore dreams and the passage of time. Human presence is often limited to just one person in a shot, or two at the most, with bodies often fragmented into formal studies, reinforcing the sense of melancholy. He often obscures people’s faces in his images (blurred, shot from behind, obstructed by tree branches, etc), and that’s why a full bleed portrait of a young woman, her face taking up the entire frame as she looks straight into the camera with a blurred landscape behind her, is particularly engrossing. 

A picture of what looks like abandoned road construction (with a platform to nowhere and several pipes and wires underneath) is paired with a sinuously textural image of nature, and with the near alignment of the mountains in the distance and the golden printing, it almost seems like they transition one into another. In another spread, a close up of two cans placed on top of each other on a rocky surface appears next to a shot of two cows (one light, the other dark) drinking water from a narrow creek. Another memorable image is a floor to ceiling window facing lush trees, the view cut into vertical panels like an Asian screen; it takes a moment to notice that the inside of the surrounding space is most likely abandoned, with pieces of roof tiles on the floor and hanging from the ceiling.

The very last shot, obviously staged, shows two cars colliding in mid air, perhaps at some kind of stock car crash event; it’s a striking shot, filled with smoky violence. The zine ends with an essay by Isabella Haid, who notes that “Solomon’s images excavate our emotional territories to make sense of the event.” Seen as one flow of images, Solomon’s photographs use a cleverly formal visual vocabulary to create an open ended but linked progression. Twist is a subtly elegant publication, enlivened by thoughtful sequencing and editing. The physicality of the book, its paper stock, its color, its grain, they all add to a sensuously tactile book experience. It’s a great example of transforming a modest series into a visually engaging publication. It’s a promising start for a younger photographer, and it will be exciting to follow Solomon’s practice as he finds his way forward. 

Collector’s POV: Grade Solomon does not appear to have consistent gallery representation at this time. As a result, interested collectors should likely follow up directly with the artist via his website (linked in the sidebar).

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