EXHIBITION DETAILS

Prior Pleasures | Ellen Cantor

August 4-September 23, 2017

Artist Talk : June 17, 2:00

STATEMENT

In an age when technology is slowly replacing the tactile experience of reading a book, my work recalls and celebrates the joy of losing oneself within the pages of a favorite childhood tale. Prior Pleasures is deeply influenced by my love of literature. This series explores memory and preservation of the past while ensuring the creation of a visual legacy for the next generation. The books photographed for this series are the ones I have carried with me since childhood. My mother read them to me and, in turn, I read them to my children, carrying on a tradition of the written and spoken word.

Excited by the camera obscura work of photographer, Abelardo Morell, the
Prior Pleasures series explores the myth of the photographic truth and inspired me to create a new way of looking at childhood icons.Prior Pleasures is created using
a multiple exposure technique (without Photoshop) by photographing the end pages, illustrations, and text into one image. This process allows me to show the excitement of a book fluttering open and coming to life for readers of all generations.

Rediscovering these books led me to realize the power and value of the hands-on experience of reading. In and age of e-readers, Prior Pleasures is meant to remind us that books can excite and enrich our lives.