Pierre von Kleist, 2011. Edition of 1,000 copies.
Hardcover, 300 x 300 mm, 78 pp., 36 color illustrations.
Photographs by António Júlio Duarte. Design by Begoña Claveria.
António Júlio Duarte has been photographing Casino’s lobbies in Macau for the last 10 years. Shot at night, with a medium format camera and a flash, often in jetlagged mode, the lobbies became Duarte’s personal territory. The absurd luxury of the places combined with the strangeness of the objects, and the absence of human presence, creates a strong dreamlike feeling. We are led through a labyrinth, as if floating. The work is, both an important document about the little seen reality of Casino’s in Macau today, and a very personal reflection about East and West, about how to relate to the world through photography.
