A selection of Clemens Ascher's vividly colorful, surreal photography expressing contemporary alienation

This publication gathers works by Austrian photographer Clemens Ascher (born 1983), known for his conceptual staged photography and photorealistic collage works combining various styles and elements from art history.

In his highly constructed scenarios, reminiscent of theatrical stages or an exaggerated version of advertising aesthetics, what initially appears to be pleasingly surreal eye candy turns out to broach such disquieting themes as societal control through the production of desires and humanity's alienation from nature.

For more than seven years Ascher has continued to develop these themes, generating a world as constructed as the belief systems he satirizes. This book is the first collection of his work.