Meadowlands

The photographs, taken over a span of 10 years, in Lutz's debut monograph remarkably reveal the swampy, 32-mile area that “separates New Jersey from... the rest of the United States of America.” Lutz's fascination with the heavily polluted Meadowlands is contagious, and his compositions gild the seedy motels and impassive empty lots with a lush, despairing beauty. The evocative and moody portraits of drifters and the disenchanted are unforgettable; Lutz's images are powerfully affecting but never exaggerated or disingenuous. A stunning first collection. (Aug.)