Lynn Stern “SKULL”

Taka Ishii Gallery

[Image: Lynn Stern "(W)Holes #94-7a (1994-2008)" gelatin silver print, 24 x 20 in.]

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SKULL is a major monograph by New York-based photographer Lynn Stern, with accompanying text by critic Donald Kuspit. The launch of the artist’s sixth book coincides with a major exhibition of her work on view at Taka Ishii Gallery New York.

Artists throughout history have been in thrall to the depiction of death. Lynn Stern has made that fascination the focal point of a 25-year exploration of the subject. The resulting book, SKULL, reproduces 8 series of skull photographs, many never before presented to the public. Released on October 17th in New York and October 19th in London by publisher Thames & Hudson, SKULL includes an accompanying essay by art critic, Donald Kuspit, contextualizing Stern’s work within art history through comparisons with paintings, sculptures and photographs made during the last seven centuries of western art. The monograph also contains an essay by Stern describing, in personal terms, the genesis and evolution of the skull work. The book will be made available for purchase online, as well as through select distributors.

On view at Taka Ishii Gallery, Stern’s Skull series (1991) will be displayed almost in its entirety. These early works denote the beginning of Stern’s obsession and fascination with the representation of the skull. Aiming to de-literalize what is in front of the lens, Stern takes a very painterly approach to photography. Also on view will be works from Stern’s Passage series (2002-2010), in which the artist utilizes a translucent white scrim back-lit by indirect, natural light, producing glowing, often ghost-like images. Her Doppleganger series (2013-2014) depicts human skulls veiled by a thin fabric; they are combined with a black scrim, and in certain instances, with another skull that has been painted charcoal. These subtle embellishments suggest expressive qualities that resist coming into full focus.

This will be the gallery’s first exhibition with the artist and will be followed by an exhibition at its flagship space in Tokyo in 2018.