apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Though dramatically lit and tightly composed, Smith doesn't "pose" the books, they are photographed just as she found them, and the library is in charge of the lighting, not her.

Blue Book. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2004

And Smith has experimented with their installation - as with Money above, we have Power below, large, up close and multiplied.

Collocation No. 2 (Power) Inkjet Prints on Canvas, 2005 Three 87 x 58 Images at Jon Oulman Gallery

In the artist's words, "Since 2004, I have photographed bound periodicals and professional journals in public libraries. These publications are being replaced by their online counterparts, and in many cases the printed versions are no longer bound. Searching endless rows of these utilitarian texts, I am continually struck by physical mass of information and tenuousness of printed works as they fade from public consciousness."

Time. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2006

Seasons. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2003

Bound. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2003

Sleep. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2006

"Sleep" for the bedroom anyone?

Eye. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2006

Spectator. Archival Inkjet Print on Rag Paper, 2006

Anyone remember their relief when the back issues of a periodical you needed for a research paper were bound and in the stacks - saving you hours of scrolling on those medieval microfiche machines?

Inquiries? Please contact the artist directly via email. See the acquisition section of her website for information about editions, sizes and prices.

And the Jen Bekman Gallery blog has a nice interview with the artist.

Know any artists whose work would make a home a lovelier place? Send ideas to The Gallery. Thanks!