Incomplete Encyclopedia of Touch by Erik Kessels, Karel de Mulder and Thomas Sauvin

A photobook by artist Erik Kessels, creative director Karel de Mulder, and photo collector and editor Thomas Sauvin.

Distilled from over 15,000 family albums, Incomplete Encyclopedia of Touch archives the human desire to put a hand on things. Whether it’s cars, boats, animals, trees, fridges, bridges, bushes, fellow humans or even their graves — everything that can be touched will be touched. Containing only 2,948 photos, this collection is far from ever being finished but provokes questions about the underlying motivations behind this universal pictorial behaviour. Do we seek connection? Do we claim ownership? Or do we just want to measure ourselves to the objects of our world? Perhaps you could ask yourself these questions, next time you strike a touching pose.

Beyond the mere fascination of the photographs themselves, the book offers a fresh reflection on unconscious human behaviour and its meaning, transcending time and place—a remarkable new work.

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Title: Incomplete Encyclopedia of Touch
Artist: Erik Kessels, Karel de Mulder and Thomas Sauvin
Publisher: RVB Books, 2024
Format: Softcover
Size: 220 x 300 mm
Pages: 496
Language: English
Edition: First edition
ISBN: 978-2-492175-47-3
Price: ¥9,900