El Porqué de las Naranjas begins with a rhetorical question. Why oranges? More like a nonsensical taunt than a proper title. Why this? Why that? Why not? Composed of various snapshots taken around the region of Levante in Spain, Ricardo Cases’ new book offers an absurdist look at the Mediterranean landscape of a Spanish tourist town. More loosely structured than his critically acclaimed book Paloma del Aire, El Porqué de las Naranjas is shot with the inquisitive and roving eye of a paparazzi. Caught in the glare of Cases’ flash and the hot Mediterranean sun, reality has a startled look. Each orange and haphazard structure appears caught in the act of doing or hiding something. If Cases’ book leads with a question, each following image is a subsequent question and challenge. Why oranges? Why a garishly painted sidewalk? An overturned mattress? Or a pile of boxes? Yet, if each image asks a slightly different question, they share the same answer. That answer may be unclear, but it’s important to ask. - Adam Bell
Marks on front cover.
First Edition
January 2014
128 pages
16 x 19 cm