ALEJANDRA GUERRERO photographed in 2023 by John Fiebke for Alejandra’s Auto Erotica book
Alejandra’s Auto Erotica: in praise of powerful women and cool cars
AUTO EROTICA
Photography by Alejandra Guerrero
(Circa Press: 210pp, approx 220 photos)
Review by Tony Mitchell
Auto Erotica is the second monograph in the trilogy commissioned from Chicago-based photographer Alejandra Guerrero by London publisher Circa Press.
Alejandra’s Auto Erotica was published in late 2023, but is currently still her ‘latest’ book — and definitely worthy of adding to anyone’s fetish photography collection. A review copy has finally reached us, so better late than never for a review, eh?
One of the first pleasures of getting my hands on the actual book (as opposed to some sample promo images) was the discovery that it adopts a different format from many other photography monographs.
Rather than including just one or two images from each of a large number of individual shoots, as photo books often do, Auto Erotica comprises 16 vignettes, or photo stories.
So instead of seeing just a favourite shot or two chosen by the photographer (and/or the book editor) from an entire shoot, you get typically around a dozen images (in colour and/or B&W) that are arranged in a narrative sequence. Guerrero, it transpires, is very interested in using pictures to tell stories.
And what stories she tells! If your first thought on seeing the book’s title was “chicks and cars, maaan — isn’t that a bit of a cliché?”, then allow me to disabuse you. This is not ‘chicks and cars’ as found in 1970s magazines, but very much an inversion of the traditional male-led approach.
Yes, cool, fast cars are to be found herein — they are one of Guerrero’s passions. But the women she presents here are also powerful, because powerful women as photographic subjects are very close to her heart.
Alejandra’s Auto Erotica establishes this with its very first vignette (and one of the book’s shorter stories), Distressed Damsels, from which this review’s banner image is taken.
And before you protest: yes, that is an ironic title. To allude to the story’s contents, I’m going to quote from the foreword to Auto Erotica by New York-based arts writer Miss Rosen, who writes:
With Distressed Damsels, Guerrero subverts the classic kidnapping tale with the story of two women, dressed to kill, who lure a man into their clutches by pretending their car has broken down.
And that’s only how it starts! From a ‘traditional’ fetish perspective, it’s true that Alejandra’s Auto Erotica doesn’t feature as much leather and latex as her first Circa volume, Wicked Women. But there is wardrobe from Vex, Mother of London and Blacklickorish Latex among other designers contributing to all the ‘dressed to kill’ looks.
And Guerrero’s fetish and domme models include Brits Miranda Barrie (on the front and back covers) and Tessa Kuragi, plus Kimberly Kane, Anastasia Pierce, Raylin Joy, Darenzia, Sally Marvel and Mistress Iris, to name but a few.
To sum up Auto Erotica, leafing through its pages transports me back instantly — and joyously — to the classic work of Helmut Newton — a big hero of mine and (no great surprise) a major influence on Guerrero.
I’m going to conclude this review with a second quote from Miss Rosen, who I must say has written one of the best forewords — unpretentiously admiring and informative — I’ve seen in a photo book. Read it first; it will set you up beautifully for what follows!
Rosen says: Guerrero offers us a collection of vignettes that combine her fascination for classic Hollywood thrillers, true-crime stories and pulp fiction with her love for high fashion.
By casting women and cars as partners in crime, she creates new landscapes of desire that are simultaneously playful and erotic. Each photograph reads like a classic B-movie still; and each story takes us to a realm where women rule supreme.
I can only agree!
Alejandra Guerrero/Corporate Vampire
Auto Erotica/Circa Press
Auto Erotica Launch/TheFetishistas
Wicked Women/Fetishistas Interview
Guerrero’s Lash! Chicago party preview
BELOW: A small selection of pages from Alejandra Guerrero’s Circa Press monograph Auto Erotica.
Click/tap any thumbnail to open full-size image and start slideshow
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