Description
Photo book Christs and Antichrists
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew – Javier Viver (RM Editorial, 2020).
Photo book Cristos y Anticristos (Christs and Antichrists):
Author: Javier Viver
Editing and design: Javier Viver
Coordination and documentation: Milagros García, Queca Levenfeld, Marina Alonso, Lea Tyrallová
Printing: Brizzolis Arte en Gráficas
Published by: Editorial RM and Estudio Javier Viver
Place and date: Madrid, 2020
Binding: Saddle-stitched, with dust jacket
Dimensions: 5 × 3.5 inches
Pages: 192 + 5 fold-outs
ISBN: 978-84-17975-42-5
Copy signed by the author
An illustrated bible on memory and reconciliation
In Evangelio según San Mateo(The Gospel According to Saint Matthew), Javier Viver transforms a 1930 pocket edition of the Gospel into a contemporary photobook. By incorporating photographs of the Spanish Civil War and the desecration of religious images, the artist creates a unique illustrated bible.
Beyond a simple illustration of the biblical text, Viver constructs a striking visual narrative. He uses archival images to create new associations and meanings, as he did in his acclaimed photobook Révélations, which won the National Prize for Best Art Book in 2015.
A visual dialogue on historical memory
The book offers a profound reflection on collective memory and reconciliation. Through the gestures and gazes of the people portrayed, Viver invites us to discover the Christs and Antichrists present on both sides of the conflict. In doing so, he seeks to transcend ideological views and reveal the common humanity of all the protagonists.
Of particular interest are the photographs of desecrated images, which document with raw beauty the traces of human passion. These scenes achieve a unique level of realism and symbolic significance, revealing the tension between the sacred and the destroyed.
A game between document and fiction
The volume includes a collection of micro-perforated stamps, similar to the ration cards of the time. Readers can cut them out and insert them into different passages of the book. These images, inspired by wartime posters, literally reproduce some of the original photographs, creating a dialogue between reality and representation.
Through this playful and participatory gesture, Viver turns the reader into a co-author of the story. Document and fiction, art and testimony coexist and intertwine to question the limits of memory and image.
