Matthew Brookes: Into the Wild

Description

The second monograph by New York- and Paris-based photographer Matthew Brookes, Into the Wild is a vibrant celebration of surf life. For this project, Brookes followed a group of young surfers from Venice Beach on their adventures up and down the coast. The result is a story of van culture along the California coast-a story of youth choosing to follow their dreams, living out of vans, existing for surf and travel and freedom, and always chasing the best waves. The documentary-style photographs are typical of Brookes' work, with ethereal shots punctuating more naturalistic photos. The book includes interviews with the surfers done by Zack Raffin from the major surf magazine Stab Magazine. Raffin is a young surfer himself and grew up surrounded by van culture, positioning him as an insider voice as much as a journalist.

The English born photographer Matthew Brookes, raised in South Africa and then spent many years in Paris where he discovered his passion for photography. His images have been featured in several publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, The New York Times' T Magazine, Interview and British and Spanish Vogue. He also works closely with a variety of luxury brands Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Cartier, Ralph Lauren, Zegna, among others. His previous book Les danseurs (Damiani, 2015) is a series of photographs of the ballet dancers of the Paris Opera. He divides his time between Paris and New York.

Matthew tells a poignant story of youth choosing to follow their dreams, living out of vans, existing for surf and travel and freedom, and always chasing the best waves.--Elena Martinique "Widewalls" Exploring the visceral energy and low-key camaraderie of the scene, Brookes prizes glimpses of calm solitude over relentless adrenaline rush.--Sarah Moroz "i-D"