In The Australian Journey, Regina Anzenberger once again takes us to the fifth continent — a place that has profoundly shaped her artistic vision for decades. Ever since her first trip to Australia in 1989, the country’s unique natural world has been a recurring source of inspiration for the Vienna-based artist, curator, and gallerist. Her latest book and exhibition, created during a journey through Tasmania in March 2024, is a moving continuation of this dialogue between nature, photography, and materiality.
Structured into four poetic chapters: Prolog, Riverbed Rocks, Rainforest, and Floating Bonds, Anzenberger tells stories of friendship, of giant ferns and mysterious seahorses, of riverbeds and endless beaches. Using instant photographs as a starting point, she expands her images with painterly gestures, drawings, and natural found objects. The result is a body of work that transcends the boundaries of photography, transforming the real into something imaginative and deeply personal.
The papers for the booklet covers and the endpapers are inspired by the colors of Australia: the rainforest, the rocks, and the sea. For me, it’s important that the texture and colors of the papers harmonize with the content.
“The papers for the booklet covers and the endpapers are inspired by the colors of Australia: the rainforest, the rocks, and the sea. For me, it’s important that the texture and colors of the papers harmonize with the content,” explains Regina Anzenberger. The tactile and visual experience of The Australian Journey is as essential as its imagery. Each detail, from paper choice to binding, has been carefully considered to reflect the raw beauty and earthy tones of the Australian landscape.
I chose Munken Lynx for the inner pages because I thought it would suit the varied requirements of the images very well.
The Papers of The Australian Journey
The inner pages of the artbooks are printed on Munken Lynx, a paper chosen for its balanced surface and ability to bring out the subtle tonal range of Anzenberger’s mixed-media works, while all four artbooks are bound with a simple, yet impactful thread stitching, in three matching colors.
The outer papers, Mohawk Renewal Flower 325 g/m² and PERGRAPHICA® Colours Gentle Brown 250 g/m², perfectly complement the natural textures of the imagery, while the box’s interior is made of striking IQ COLOR blue (endpaper 230 g/m², text sheet 120 g/m²) that adds an unexpected yet harmonious depth. The thoughtful combination of tones and materials turns the book into an object that feels intimately connected to its content, a tangible extension of Anzenberger’s vision.
Produced as a first edition of 300 signed and numbered copies, including 25 collector’s editions featuring a signed print, The Australian Journey embodies both craftsmanship and poetic expression. The book’s resonance has already been recognized internationally, as it has been nominated for the German Photobook Award 25/26, is a finalist for the Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award 2025, and was exhibited at OFFLibris 2025 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
With The Australian Journey, Regina Anzenberger continues her lifelong exploration of nature’s quiet poetry — capturing not just what she sees, but what she feels. Each page invites the viewer to slow down, to observe, and to rediscover the delicate connection between the visual and the tactile, the image and the material, the seen and the imagined. You can order a signed copy or a collector’s edition of The Australian Journey at Bookshop Anzenberger Gallery.
Images © Regina Anzenberger