Gentlemen of Bacongo

Dandies and pure sartorialists are people often associated with and resided in cities like Paris, London or Milan. Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni gives us the Congolese view on something similar with his book 'Gentleman of Bacongo'. The Sapeurs or Society for the Advancement of People and Elegance are a inspirational group of men mainly from the district of Brazzaville in Congo who have turned fashion into a religion. Inspired by their former French and Belgian colonists they generate a huge contrast between themselves and the poverty that still taunts their war torn homeland. The inspirational part of it all is that every Sapeur tries to live life to the fullest, in that they all want to fulfil their dream of travelling abroad one day to return to Congo as lords of elegance. A nice quote from the publisher describes their state-of-mind as follows:

“There is no bloodshed here, here your clothes do all the fighting for you otherwise you are not fit to be called a sapeur.”

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Tattoo in Japan: Traditional and Modern Styles

Tattoo in Japan: Traditional and Modern Styles is an impressive book about the creation of long-lasting body art in the form of tattoos. With a large collection of rich coloured images that show of Japan’s rich tattoo culture, it’s a book for both tattoo enthusiasts as well as for people who are interested in the Japanese culture, art and graphic designs. The book is divided into four chapters (Tokyo, Chubu, Kyoto and Osaka)  with each chapter illustrating the tattoo styles that the these cities are known for. The  surprising fact that tattoos in Japan are such a huge taboo makes it extraordinary to see bodies that are fully covered and publicly displayed. The book consists of 320 pages with about 250 photographs and it is written in English and German. Based on my own experiences of reading books about Japan’s tattoo culture, I can honestly say such books are a must-have for anyone that is somehow interested in any way of art. More pictures below.

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