Michal Korta - Beautiful Monster. Skopje Brutalist Architecture - 2016

BEAUTIFUL MONSTER - Skopje Brutalist Architecture
by Michal Korta

"Beautiful Monster" by Michał Korta – Limited Edition Photographic Masterpiece

This exquisite limited-edition photobook by acclaimed Polish photographer Michał Korta offers a captivating exploration of Skopje’s iconic brutalist architecture. Measuring 16x19 cm and comprising 28 beautifully crafted pages, the book features a series of stunning grayscale 4x5" photographs that reveal the raw beauty of the city’s monumental structures.

Each copy is meticulously handcrafted and signed by the artist, featuring a silk-screened cover with a striking brutalist-inspired font. A thoughtful accompanying text by esteemed art historian Dobromiła Błaszczyk adds depth and context to this architectural journey.

With only 20 numbered copies, plus 5 artist proofs, this collector’s edition [ here presented as number 6 of 20 + 5 AP ] is a rare and sought-after piece. Widely exhibited and celebrated in numerous publications, Beautiful Monster stands as both a visual archive and an artistic triumph for enthusiasts of architecture, design, and fine art books.

Author: Michał Korta
Dimensions: 16x19 cm (vertical)
28 pages
10 photographs 4x5 (Grayscale)
English text by Dobromiła Błaszczyk / Contemporary Lynx
Paper: Munken Pure 240
Print: Profit Bochnia
Handmade binding by TB
Typeface: ARS Maquette & Ombra Brutal
Cover: Black cardboard with hand made silkscreen printing (Madu)
Limited, signed and numbered collectors edition of 20+5 copies
Korta Studio (R) 2016
ISBN: 978-83-945466-01

The photos are from the BEAUTIFUL MONSTER series depicting the unique brutal architecture in Skopje / North Macedonia. The pictures were taken in 2014/2015. The series was shown at the POST SOVIET VISIONS exhibition at the Calvert Gallery in London. Lots of magazines like The Guardian, Calvert Journal Wallpaper wrote about it.

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"I strolled around the building of Skopje's main post office at various times of the day and night. My first association was of a space ship from some non-existent novel by H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov; as if some huge machine from a 1970s sci-fi novel had docked on the bank of the Wardar. The earthquake of 1963 had destroyed almost 75% of the city's fabric. Its reconstruction came at the peak of the popularity of the brutalist style in architecture. These unique futuristic buildings of raw concrete can still be seen in Skopje today. During my two visits to the Macedonian capital I took photographs with a large-format camera; the photographs in this publication are printed in a 1:1 scale in respect of the original 4 × 5' negatives.