Matthew Monteith: Czech Eden

Upon visiting Czech Republic in the early 1990s, Matthew Monteith was fascinated by the forever-blurred line between reality and idyll in what is still, since the collapse of communism, a nation in search of its identity. This fascination led into a series, Czech Eden, published by Aperture this month—the name for his series was inspired by a visit to Cesky Raj, a protected national preserve in Northern Bohemia. “Raj” can be translated as Heaven, Paradise, or Eden—Monteith chose the latter because, he says, of “the ambiguity and impossibility in creating a Utopian society.”

Hear him explain more about the series and have your copy of the book signed today at 6:30 p.m. at Aperture Galleries in New York (547 W. 27th Street, 4th Floor).

To see more of his images, see our full review in Pop Photo Features.
—Lori Fredrickson