Frank Kunert: Topsy-Turvy World

Enigmatic German photographer Frank Kunert, born in 1963 in Frankfurt, excels at turning familiar narrative contexts upside down and forcing us to question reality itself. A multistoried apartment building, drab and grayish, has the requisite carpeted balconies, railings and lone flower box--even a deck chair. It's a familiar view. But on second glance, we sense something is gravely amiss: the balcony doors lead nowhere; in fact, the balconies themselves cannot be accessed. Kunert has not uncovered an architectural conspiracy; the building is his own creation. In the tradition of Thomas Demand, Kunert spends weeks constructing highly detailed, convincingly realistic models, then photographs them to exacting technical standards, creating vibrant images rife with subtle visual puns. This concise and engaging volume provides ample opportunity to study the witty intelligence behind Kunert's recent work.