Pictures Inside Me is an extraordinary photobook by the Berlin-based photo-artist Sebastian Kusenberg (b. 1958). In his black-and-white photographs Kusenberg portrays himself as metamorphosing protagonist who mutates into a masked figure or primitive man, captured in a blur of movement or in sharp focus as he performs before his own plate camera. Catching himself by surprise is part of the game and a major feature of his open concept. Kusenberg, working on both the series and the individual shots since 1987 parallel with his other photographic work, says: "My intention is to be part of the image, and the image in turn becomes part of my life. I use long exposures so that there is time for something unexpected to unfold. I step in front of the camera as a performer rather than standing behind it as an observing photographer and I thus have only a rough idea of what will happen – perhaps a motion or a posture… Here, chance and the unconscious play a special role. What results is less a self-portrait than a general reflection on humanity that many people can relate to."

Hardcover
24 x 30 cm
104 pages
English, German
ISBN 978-3-86828-346-4
Texts: Peter Glaser, Helen Adkins
Published by Kehrer