Waikiki

Waikiki by Henry Wessel

Published by Steidl, 2011.

Hardcover, 62pg. B&W

12" x 12"

Henry Wessel photographed one of Honolulu's most famous neighborhoods, which had already become a crowded tourist destination when Wessel photographed there in the late 1970s and early 80s. This book contains Wessel's edit of these pictures and is a record of American leisure at this time--of surf, sand and inexhaustible pleasure-seekers. Yet Wessel equally explores the contradictions of Waikiki--concrete hotels invading pristine beaches, culture encroaching on nature. Despite all the fun in the sun, Wessel's subjects are often distanced and dissatisfied, suggesting an underlying unease.