D’AGATA, Antoine. Paraiso.

(Marseille, France): Andre Frere Editions, 2013.  First edition.  Octavo.  Unpaginated.  Sordid, grimey and unapologetic, this is the photographic diary kept by controversial photographer Antoine dAgata during the 2012 International Festival of Photography in Valparaíso, Chile. As usual, he spends his time there immersed in a world of drugs and prostitution in order to narrate the dark underworld of urban life first-hand. Tales of a past relationship with a woman in Phnom Penh are interwoven with the present moment, snippets of email correspondence and streams of consciousness that border on nonsensical musings, while flashbulb images of drug use and sex interject to create a schizophrenic rollercoaster repulsive and strangely fascinating.  A near fine copy in wrappers with integral flaps.  This example signed by the photographer on the front flap.