Shooting the Tiger - Xiaoxiao Xu (text: Maria-Caterina Bellinetti)

The printing in this colourful photo book is really stunning. The intensity of the colours comes over extremely well, with not only the bright colours really popping – great use is made of fluorescent pink – but this is also perfectly balanced by the brown tints and sand colours used in the background. Both elements – the brightly coloured, celebratory exuberance and the link to the earth – play important roles in this documentation of the traditional Shèhuô festival in the northwest of China, marking the end of Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese horoscope, 2022 was the year of the tiger – and so an appropriate time to release this book. The vibrant colours suit this association with Chinese New Year, and both these and the earthy tints are well served by the sparkling printing. The choice of the uncoated Emotion 1.8 paper further enhances the depth of the colours. The pink fluorescent edge printing also brings added value to this firecracker interior. Also, when the book is lying open, a lovely, subtle shift in colour occurs in the edge print: a great reference to the running face-paint of the revellers. All told, a strong book, the interior and exterior of which both exude the same atmosphere.