Text by Lauren Shaw, Lucy Lippard, Terry Tempest Williams.
This poignant photobook offers parallels between the aging body and the cycles of growth and decay found in nature
As a young girl growing up in the American South, photographer Lauren Shaw (born 1946) watched her mother wield her armor of attractiveness—her vanity—against the passage of time. Later in life, Shaw’s mother was struck by Alzheimer’s disease, and her impeccable self-presentation began to crumble. In Traces of Impermanence, Shaw examines her own relationship to aging, documenting her body yielding to the natural progression of time—its scars, bruises and marks reflecting resilience, vulnerability and a record of a life lived. These are juxtaposed with poetic images from the natural world, showing the interplay between beauty and imperfection, growth and decay, each shaping and deepening the presence of the other. Along with Shaw’s own written reflections on aging, the photobook contains essays by esteemed art critic Lucy Lippard and writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 9/22/2026
This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com
Published by MW Editions. Text by Lauren Shaw, Lucy Lippard, Terry Tempest Williams.
This poignant photobook offers parallels between the aging body and the cycles of growth and decay found in nature
As a young girl growing up in the American South, photographer Lauren Shaw (born 1946) watched her mother wield her armor of attractiveness—her vanity—against the passage of time. Later in life, Shaw’s mother was struck by Alzheimer’s disease, and her impeccable self-presentation began to crumble.
In Traces of Impermanence, Shaw examines her own relationship to aging, documenting her body yielding to the natural progression of time—its scars, bruises and marks reflecting resilience, vulnerability and a record of a life lived. These are juxtaposed with poetic images from the natural world, showing the interplay between beauty and imperfection, growth and decay, each shaping and deepening the presence of the other. Along with Shaw’s own written reflections on aging, the photobook contains essays by esteemed art critic Lucy Lippard and writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams.
