Heaven

The book HEAVEN consists of 494 Polaroids selected from the extensive archive built up by Paul Kooiker and spans a period of 12 years. The free and easy handling of the Polaroid camera enabled Kooiker to experiment without restrictions, particularly during his period of model studies. These Polaroids formed the starting point of various projects that Kooiker undertook throughout his career, and as such they mark the artist’s first instances of discovery and experience. The works – MODEL STUDIES (2001), SHOWGROUND (2004) and CRUSH (2009) – are direct results of the Polaroid sessions. As well as the model studies, the book contains personal photographs from the artist’s private life and classical genres such as landscapes, cityscapes and views of nature. As in Kooiker’s earlier projects, the images selected for the book are arranged in series. Containing 176 pages, the book is composed of 90 ‘spreads’. The abundant use of white space suggests a surface, a floor, or a wall, while at the same time arousing curiosity about what is missing, unseen.