What is snafu?

snafu is about what happens when things don’t line up — when the story collapses and something real starts to show through.

It’s my record of looking, and of being looked back at by the world.

Realized as sixty-six handmade books and a field guide, it forms a living archive — a singular and fluid narrative, and an ongoing experiment in photographic form.

Where can I find insights into your process and snafu?

At snafubook.art, my Substack, where I share photographs, field notes, and reflections on the ongoing making of snafu.

Is snafu available?

Yes. snafu is limited to seven unique handmade copies, completed individually in the studio. Handmade editions are available for acquisition by collectors, libraries, and institutions. Inquiries may be sent to theo@theoanderson.com.

What is the field guide?

The field guide accompanies the books — a small volume of text and fragments that echo the photographs: reflections on imperfection, place, and the everyday — at once an index and a prelude to snafu.

Where can I see the snafu?

Private studio viewings are available by appointment.

Can curators use snafu as the basis for an exhibition?

Yes. I welcome curators to engage with snafu as a foundation for their own interpretation. The work is modular and open by design — each exhibition can become its own expression, shaped through the curator’s perspective and response to the books and photographs.

Why handmade books, and how are they made?

I choose the handmade book because it allows me to express the work without compromise. The wire binding lets the books lay flat for viewing, and the fine, small prints invite the viewer to comfortably handhold each volume for an intimate encounter with my work.

Each book is made using the finest papers and wire binding. I print each photograph as a pigment print on archival paper — identical to my large-scale works. The process of making snafu takes six to eight weeks, completed in the solitude of my studio. The presentation boxes are fabricated by an outside vendor to my specifications. The materials are chosen for permanence and tactile presence.

Why black and white, and how does snafu relate to earlier work?

In my earlier color work, including cowboy and ulisse, I felt I had taken color as far as I could. Returning to black and white is, in a sense, a return to my first photographs — to the way I first saw and understood the world through light and form. snafu continues my long engagement with American life, the social-documentary tradition, and the idea of fragmentation as wholeness.

How do you work?

Happenstance, chance, godsend — whatever you want to call it — is how I get to a place. Curious and working alone, I move through the commonplace. The photographs happen quickly; they are not contemplative. I often visualize the print when I make a photograph.

More and more, I find myself thinking about how the photographs work together even as I’m making them. I respect the circumstances and embrace the condition of the ordinary.

Do you make prints in addition to the books?

Yes. Selected images from snafu and earlier series are produced as large-scale pigment prints and portfolios.

Do you accept commissions or reportage assignments?

Yes. I accept assignments on a limited basis — projects that align with my way of seeing and my ongoing interest in everyday American life.

Do you give talks, workshops, or presentations?

Yes. I occasionally speak and teach at museums, colleges, and institutions regarding my work and its relationship to American life.