The Book of Veles — Jonas Bendiksen — GOST Books

A documentary photographer turns the authority of his own medium into the subject of an elaborate deception. Jonas Bendiksen photographed Veles, the North Macedonian town linked to online misinformation during the 2016 US election, then inserted computer-generated people into the scenes. What looks like a populated documentary account is therefore a constructed photographic world. References to the contested Slavic Book of Veles extend the project’s concern with fabricated histories and the credibility granted to material evidence. The imitation-leather binding and silver foil reinforce the book’s presentation as an authoritative object. Looking becomes a test of the reader’s assumptions: the photographs ask how much trust comes from the image itself, and how much from its format, narrative and maker.

Technical Sheet
Title: The Book of Veles
Artist / Author: Jonas Bendiksen
Medium / Materials: Hardback with imitation-leather cover and silver foil
Dimensions: 22 × 16.5 cm
Pages: 148
Publisher: GOST Books
ISBN: 9781910401613