Bill BURKE. I Want to Take Picture

I Want to Take Picture is a key artist’s book by Bill Burke documenting his travels through Southeast Asia in the early 1980s, particularly Thailand, Burma

(Myanmar), and the Thai–Cambodian border region in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge period. The photographs, made during extended stays in the region, combine observation with personal experience and resist the conventions of classical photojournalism.

Rather than presenting a detached documentary account, the book foregrounds subjectivity and presence. Burke’s images register everyday moments, encounters, and traces of historical violence while acknowledging the photographer’s position within these environments. The work moves between diary-like reflection and visual sequencing, allowing meaning to emerge through rhythm, repetition, and proximity rather than narrative closure.

As a photobook, I Want to Take Picture occupies an important position in the history of artist-driven documentary practices, demonstrating how photography can function simultaneously as witness, personal inquiry, and aesthetic construction.