
This gallery show of contemporary photographic artists’ books highlights photographically-based books that go far beyond the standard photographic monograph. The books in this exhibition use the book form as an original, creative genre incorporating photographic images coupled with an acute awareness of the artistic possibilities of the book. 50 Years of The Photographic Artists’ Book, 1968-2018 focuses attention on photographers and artists who have worked with the time-based medium of the book as a central part of their creative project. The goal of the show is to draw attention to the rich discourse of artists’ books that use photography as part of their conceptual language. Many of these works have been overlooked by the Artists’ Book canon (does such a thing exist?) and deserve much greater attention. Conversely, the works shown are intended to inspire photographers to create new original work that investigates and exploits the great opportunities that are inherent in the codex book. 50 Years of The Photographic Artists’ Book, 1968-2018 was curated by University of Arizona faculty member Philip Zimmermann. Due to security restrictions, the books shown cannot, alas, be handled. However, there are four LCD monitors in the gallery showing videos of many of the books in the cases, with the pages being turned.