cover image Zebrato

Zebrato

Michael Levin. Dewi Lewis Publishing, $45 (96pp) ISBN 978-1-904587-70-5

Ethereal, ghostly images abound in this eye-catching volume filled with the black and white landscape photographs of young, celebrated Canadian photographer Levin. Using long exposures, Levin gives his monochromatic photographs a haunting, hazy quality cut by the solid, heavy lines of buildings, bridges, rock formations and walls. Devoid of people, the images' sense of loneliness reveal a debt to the cinematic work of artists like Antonioni, who emphasized style and stillness over straightforward beauty. Many photographs attest to Levin's fascination with texture and the constant evolution of natural scenery; in ""Spring Field, 2006,"" Levin captures the striations of unsown earth, creating a supple pattern that resembles fabric. Whether captured in Canada, France, Japan or Iceland, this collection coheres in its otherworldly sense of calm; in a spare introduction, writer Barry Dumka explains that, ""despite their exacting clarity,"" the subjects of Levin's photos ""are loosened from their quotidian values to serve better his goal."" Also clear is this photographer's talent to parse out the beauty and resonance of seemingly utilitarian structures, creating quietly unforgettable images.