Synopses & Reviews
Representing Christopher Williamsand#8217;s first publication with a major American museum, this illuminating and unusual volume is equal parts artistand#8217;s book and exhibition catalogue. Over the course of his thirty-year career, Williams (b. 1956) has crafted photographs that engageand#151;often through uncanny mimicryand#151;the conventions of photojournalism, picture archives, and commercial imagery, as well as their sociopolitical contexts and implications. The book includes a trio of essays by curators Mark Godfrey, Roxana Marcoci, and Matthew S. Witkovsky, which explore Williamsand#8217;s engagement with his artistic peers and predecessors, with cinema (particularly the film-essay), and with the methods and modes of display and publicity in the art world, in addition to a transcript of a talk Williams delivered on the work of John Chamberlain. These more conventional contributions are and#147;interruptedand#8221; by additional historical and contemporary textual and visual materials that were selected by the artist himself and are occasionally presented in facsimile form. An exhibition history, bibliography, and illustrated list of works round out the publication.
Review
andldquo;For all of the layered complexity and bold non sequiturs of Williamsandrsquo; work, there is plenty of pure enjoyment to be had in and#39;The Production Line of Happinessand#39; . . . and in the accompanying catalogue-cum-artistandrsquo;s book.andrdquo;andmdash;Stephanie Murg, Wallpaper
Review
andquot;[This exhibition] conveys the complexity of Mr. Williamsandrsquo;s achievement and of art making itself with a wondrous lucidity. And just wait until you tackle the catalog.andrdquo;andmdash;Roberta Smith, New York Times
Synopsis
This volume celebrates teh unique vision of American-born conceptual artist Christopher Williams, including his uncanny mimicryand#151;and criticismand#151;of photojournalism, picture archives, fashion photography, and commercial imagery.
Synopsis
Chronologically examining the nature of his art within the context of mass media and photojournalism, this handsome volume charts the thirty-year career of the artist and photographer Christopher Williams (b. 1956). Featuring 100 color illustrations, the book also includes a trio of essays by authors Mark Godfrey, Roxana Marcoci, and Matthew S. Witkovsky that demonstrate how Williams, with high craft and a critical eye, deliberately engages yet reinterprets the conventions of photojournalism, picture archives, and commercial imagery through uncanny mimicry. Committed to the history of photography as a medium of art and intellectual inquiry, Williamss current series tackles the interplay of photography and cinema, upending viewer expectations and the role of spectacle.
Synopsis
A handsome volume charting the thirty-year career of a widely celebrated, American-born conceptual artistand#160;
About the Author
Mark Godfreyand#160;is curator at the Tate Modern in London.and#160;Roxana Marcociand#160;is senior curator in the department of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.and#160;Matthew S. Witkovskyand#160;is the Richard and Ellen Sandor Chair and Curator, department of photography, at the Art Institute of Chicago.