€33,00
Vienna as it never was, but by the sea
The author and photographer David Staretz has been regularly travelling to the Black Sea city of Odessa for twenty years. He is assisted by his Russian wife Viktoriya, who, thanks to her Russian language and warmth, has provided him with access and acquaintances that would probably have remained hidden from a tourist. "Odessa reminds me of an idealised Vienna that never existed, but with a steep coast and a harbour. A city of longing, without it being clear to me what the fascination actually consists of. In any case, Odessites love animals. Stray dogs get jumpers in winter. And they love their city, which is why they leave everything as it is: grandiose decay. But love doesn't necessarily have to do with beauty. That's why the book is not an ode to the city, but simply shows what this looks and feels like: sparse, funny, grindy, dilapidated, humanly warm, in other words, innocent in a certain way." (D. S.)
David Staretz, *1956 in Horn, Austria / Austria. Lives and works in Vienna.
Lives and works in Vienna, Austria.
