Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In her sympathetic pictures of performers and wrestlers from small towns in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, England, and Israel, Michal Chelbin offers a glimpse into worlds both strange and familiar. The settings, costumes, and even some of the subjects themselves may seem exotic, but her portraits look beyond that to capture a transcendent sense of individual character. Chelbin's most frequent subjects are children and adolescents, yet her work encompasses a mix of generations. As Leah Ollman notes, "The atmosphere falls somewhere between public and private. There's a slight titillation of having personal access to performers who, typically, are experienced only remotely. Most immediate, though, are the visual contrasts between young and old, large and small, innocence and experience." The palette is intense, and intensely appealing, with a distinctive use of saturated pinks, blues, and greens. Chelbin's black-and-white images, which are intermingled throughout the book, have an almost Pictorialist richness. Though her influences are evident-most notably August Sander and Diane Arbus-the compelling photographs in Strangely Familiar, Chelbin's first monograph, have a unique visual and emotional impact.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This is one photography book you can't flip through; rather, the images require the viewer to halt and analyze. Each photograph is carefully staged, and its various elements evoke a compelling tension. Photographer Chelbin, an art critic for the Los Angeles Times, acknowledges the influence of August Sander and Diane Arbus, which is obvious as a starting point. Ollman (The Photography of John Brill) contributes an essay on the techniques Chelbin uses to create her art, while the photographer's 51 color and black-and-white images provide as much a story as any novel, taking us to Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and England. Most of Chelbin's subjects are members of traveling troupes; specially selected and artfully staged, they force us to "look where we haven't before." Provocative and thought-provoking; recommended to public, academic, and special libraries.--Karen MacMurray, South Piedmont Community Coll. Lib., Polkton, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.