Cool Hunting

Like a slightly twisted version of something Hallmark might produce, NYC photographer Kent Rogowski's new book, simply titled Bears, is a series of portraits featuring teddybears that have been turned inside out and re-stuffed shot "Avedon-style" (as the book's publisher Sara Rosen put it) . The effect—bears that are distorted, lumpy and totally bizarre looking—is as creepy as it is compelling. Rife with nostalgia and allusions to consumerism, childhood and sentimentality, among other heady topics, Bears, like any monograph becomes a meditation on its subject.

Due out May 2007, you can pre-order from Powerhouse or Amazon. For a limited edition version that includes a signed and numbered print, see the Bears site.