In Karma, a project developed in Madrid between 2009 and 2013, Óscar Monzón focuses on the car as a means of transportation that is not entirely distinct from the person who inhabits it, for the vehicle is in itself a product of the wheel that endlessly spins inside us. Applying a visual language that eliminates the illusion of depth and emphasises abstraction, Karma brings us up close to the paradoxical intimacy provided by the car within public space, reflecting its occupants’ attitudes. The sequence of images combine human skin with aggressively designed bodyworks; headlights in the night conjure the image of wild animals; close-up flashes confront the people portrayed. Ultimately, this work reveals the social and aesthetic evolution of humankind, driven by our abiding desire to attain the perfection of a machine. Editorial coordination: Gonzalo Golpe Design: Eloi Gimeno Prepress: Víctor Garrido Paris Photo and Aperture Foundation, with the support of Amana, are pleased to announce the winner of the third annual Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation First PhotoBook: KARMA by photographer Óscar Monzón, published by RVB Books, Paris / Dalpine, Madrid, is the winner of a $10,000 grant. A jury in Paris, including Gerry Badger, photographer, architect, and critic, Dr. Tobias Bezzola, Director of Folkwang Museum (Essen), Dr. Harald Falckenberg, Sammlung Falckenberg / Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Thyago Nogueira, Contemporary Photography Coordinator / ZUM Magazine Editor, Instituto Moreira Salles (Rio de Janeiro), and Maia-Mari Sutnik, Photography and Special Projects Curator of Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), selected the winners. Read more at http://www.parisphoto.com/paris/news/the-first-photobook-award-winner-oscar-monzon-karma-published-by-rvb-books#ZSzMB047uSVB1c8d.99