Gold and Silber are two volumes of a comprehensive collection from young German photographer Peter Kaaden, published by Pogo Books. The Essen-born artist has included both professional work and images shot as he goes about his daily life, apparently. If this in-your-face collection is a mixture of commercial and documentary, it’s a little hard to tell which is which, and that is part of the appeal. One is compelled to wonder what kind of life Kaaden leads, now living in Berlin via New York, what situations he finds himself in: everything is a bit fucked up, slightly scabby and a little sore. Ridden hard and put away wet, as the equestrian analogy goes.
The retro tinge to Kaaden’s images is down to the film he continues to exclusively shoot on, giving a spontaneity to the scenes. There’s another reason for that vintage feel – the fact that people seem to frolic around naked more than folk generally do these days. Something of a throwback to the free-spirited ’60s and ’70s, with a bit of the ’80s “fuck you” thrown in for good measure.
