Photographer Karel Polt does a brilliant job in portraying two extraordinary characters in the beautiful photo-book ‘Alternative to ‘subculture‘ gone mainstream‘.


What one might notice straight away about the book is the title, that may sound confusing at first, and as there is no accompanying text to explain it or introduce the book, one is left to figure it out on their own. As I flicked through the book, it became clear that it was done intentionally to provoke the viewer’s imagination and create interest.


My favourite part of the book is the grid of nine images that introduces the photos of both models – it shows them mid-conversation, smoking, drinking, laughing… being themselves. And even if we do not find out much about them from all of these photographs, we somehow come to know them in a way.


These photographs are not just attempts to capture and document a subculture, or more accurately, the lack of it. The use of many photographs of the same subject let the viewer carefully examine all the details and aspects of the subjects. These two young people, who feature on the photographs certainly stand out from the ‘mainstream‘ crowd, but at the same time they are not part of a specific subculture as well – so who are they? As you go through the book you find yourself wanting to know more about them, wishing there were more clothes, props, locations to feed one’s imagination – but not much is given away. It is up to the viewer to come up with a story about these wonderfully eccentric individuals. And that, I believe, is the genius of this book.


This review is based on a paperback copy of the book.