Darsie Alexander

MONOGRAPHS & CATALOGS

Singular Images Edited by Sophie Howarth. Essays by Darsie Alexander, Geoffrey Batchen, David Campany, Roger Hargreaves, Sophie Howarth, Liz Jobey, Sheena Wagstaff, Mary Warner Marien, Val Williams, Nigel Warburton and Dominic Willsdon.
APERTURE
ISBN: 9781597110174
$19.95 | Awaiting stock

The Spectacular of Vernacular Text by Darsie Alexander, Andy Sturdevant, John Brinckerhoff Jackson. The Spectacular of Vernacular addresses the role of vernacular forms in the work of 26 artists who utilize craft, folklore and roadside kitsch to explore the role of culturally specific iconography
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WALKER ART CENTER
ISBN: 9780935640991
$19.99 | In stock

Darsie Alexander

The Spectacular of Vernacular

Text by Darsie Alexander, Andy Sturdevant, John Brinckerhoff Jackson.
Published by Walker Art Center

The Spectacular of Vernacular addresses the role of vernacular forms in the work of 26 artists who utilize craft, folklore and roadside kitsch to explore the role of culturally specific iconography in the increasingly global world of art. Drawing inspiration from such sources as local architecture, amateur photographs and state fair banners, their work runs the spectrum from the sleek to the handcrafted. Inspired by Mike Kelley's observation that "the mass culture of today is the folk art of tomorrow," these artists embrace the totems and neon signs of roadside America. Thus, alongside the visibly handcrafted works of Matthew Day Jackson and Dario Robleto we find the dense and day-glo paintings of Lari Pittman, the glittering trophy heads of Marc Swanson and the urban relics of Rachel Harrison. These works and others suggest a long road trip through the emblems and eyesores of tourist destinations and outmoded hotels. The photography component includes work by William Eggleston, whose color-saturated images gravitate toward the tawdry palette of faded billboards and road signs. This fully-illustrated catalogue includes an essay by exhibition curator Darsie Alexander exploring artists' interest in the vernacular as a means to address aspects of folk ritual, amateur craft and sense of place in their work; a reprint of John Brinckerhoff Jackson's "Vernacular" from his seminal 1984 reader Discovering the Vernacular Landscape; and a reflection by artist and curator Andy Sturdevant on the evolution of roadside vernacular, and attendant histories of heartland America where it is so abundant. Also included is a reading list gathered from a cross section of art criticism and cultural studies.

Singular Images

Essays on Remarkable Photographs

Edited by Sophie Howarth. Essays by Darsie Alexander, Geoffrey Batchen, David Campany, Roger Hargreaves, Sophie Howarth, Liz Jobey, Sheena Wagstaff, Mary Warner Marien, Val Williams, Nigel Warburton and Dominic Willsdon.
Published by Aperture

Spanning 170 years, from William Henry Fox Talbot's first negative to Jeff Wall's latest constructed tableau, Singular Images collects thought-provoking essays on individual photographs, one image per writer. The essayists consider, sometimes in highly personal ways, the artist's intention, their own response, the work's technical complexities, its historical context or its formal properties. Each text captures a sense of how challenging it is to create a perfect single piece. Art photography has been increasingly well-surveyed in recent years, but individual works have rarely been written about at length, perhaps because of lingering doubt that a single photograph can command the kind of sustained attention often given to individual paintings or sculptures. Singular Images is a lively inquiry into the value of analyzing individual photographs, and it persuasively encourages the reader to engage at length and in depth with one remarkable piece at a time. With its broad scope and diverse range of issues, it can also be read as an informal--and thoroughly entertaining--introduction to art photography. Featuring essays by some of the most brilliant critical minds in the field, including David Campany on Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, Darsie Alexander on Nan Goldin and Liz Jobey on Diane Arbus.