Jimmy DeSana

Name: Jimmy DeSana
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9781597113410
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Suburban

By Laurie Simmons

Summary

Jimmy DeSana compiles the surreal and sexually charged early works of photographer Jimmy DeSana from 1980 to 1983, focusing on his Suburban series. In these images, nude subjects pose entwined with everyday objects under gel-covered tungsten lights, where the suburban environment acts as a lens to explore societal stereotypes and norms. DeSana viewed the body more as an object than an erotic symbol, aiming to de-eroticise his subjects in a reflection of suburban life.
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Format: Hardback

$79⁹⁹

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Jimmy DeSana

$79⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is essential for enthusiasts of contemporary photography, queer art, and those interested in the cultural legacy of the early 1980s, especially in relation to AIDS-era artists and the evolving understanding of suburban life and identity.

DeSana staged photos of nude subjects in various evocative poses, entwined with everyday objects and lit with gel-covered tungsten lights. Rather than constructing a space, the "suburban" was a place of examining stereotypes and norms. This title collects Jimmy DeSana's earlier work, made from 1980 to 1983.

This surreally lyrical, sexually charged book collects Jimmy DeSana's earlier work, made from 1980 to 1983.

Description

This surreally lyrical, sexually charged book collects Jimmy DeSana's earlier work, made from 1980 to 1983. For his series Suburban, DeSana staged photos of nude subjects in various evocative poses, entwined with everyday objects and lit with gel-covered tungsten lights. Rather than constructing a space, the "suburban" was a place of examining stereotypes and norms.

Of this series, DeSana told Laurie Simmons, his contemporary and longtime roommate, "I don't really think of that work as erotic. I think of the body almost as an object. I attempted to use the body but without the eroticism that some photographers use frequently. I think I de-eroticized a lot of it. Particularly in that period, but that is the way the suburbs are in a sense."

Interest in DeSana is at a renewed high: Salon 94 represents his estate and mounted a well-received exhibition in 2012, and art and photography from the early 1980s is enjoying a renaissance across all media. There is a special interest now in queer artists and the legacy of a generation destroyed by AIDS, with regard to contemporary photography and queer culture, and Jimmy DeSana: Suburban is an essential contribution to this evolving canon.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise the collection's fresh and relevant exploration of sexuality and desire amid familiar domestic settings. ArtNet News highlights the evocative poses and enduring significance of these early works, while The Advocate notes DeSana's expressive use of the body akin to a dancer conveying deeper emotion beyond physical pleasure.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781597113410

Publisher: Aperture

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 October 2015

Country: United States

Imprint: Aperture

Illustration: Illustrated in colour throughout

Contributors:

Edited by Dan Nadel

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 227.0mm

Height: 284.0mm

Weight: 900g

Pages: 96

Collections

Arts & Culture Laurie Simmons LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction

About the Author

Jimmy DeSana was a groundbreaking photographer who was a key figure in New York's downtown music and art scene in the 1970sand '80s. DeSana was a frequent contributor to publications including the East Village Eye and SoHo Weekly News, as well as to the New York Rocker, photographing musicians such as Talking Heads, Debbie Harry, and Billy Idol. He exhibited at Pat Hearn Gallery, Galerie Jablonka, and at PS1, as part of the seminal 1981 exhibition New York/New Wave. Jimmy DeSana was a groundbreaking photographer who was a key figure in New York's downtown music and art scene in the 1970sand '80s. DeSana was a frequent contributor to publications including the East Village Eye and SoHo Weekly News, as well as to the New York Rocker, photographing musicians such as Talking Heads, Debbie Harry, and Billy Idol. He exhibited at Pat Hearn Gallery, Galerie Jablonka, and at PS1, as part of the seminal 1981 exhibition New York/New Wave. Laurie Simmons is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, including at the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Kunstrum Munchen; the Whitney Biennial; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Simmons lives and works in New York. Laurie Simmons is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, including at the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Kunstrum Munchen; the Whitney Biennial; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Simmons lives and works in New York. Dan Nadel is a writer and editor for art and visual culture publications, and an art curator. He is the author of Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries, 1900-1969 and Art in Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940-1980; the coauthor of Electrical Banana: Masters of Psychedelic Art; the editor of Gary Panter; the coeditor of the online version of The Comics Journal; and the curator of What Nerve!: Alternative Figures in American Art from 1960 to the Present at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. He is also the founder of PictureBox, a Grammy Award-winning publishing company.