It Is Almost That: A Collection of Image+Text Work by Women Artists & Writers

The title, taken from artists Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's contribution, pertains to the overall sense of "indeterminacy" and "boundlessness" in the chosen works of 26 female artists, each introduced by personal, inspirational, or abstract quotations. Many works are highly effective, especially in this format, which successfully depicts all media, including photography, painting, and installation. Though it is arguably Louise Bourgeois who epitomizes the "image+text" creed with the affecting and darkly humorous "He Disappeared Into Complete Silence." Narrative is key, celebrating the "beauty in banality," whether in Adrian Piper's engaging personal account as part of her "Political Self-Portrait" series, Suzanne Treister's social commentary in "Alchemy," or the absurdist prose of "India Notebooks" by Bhanu and Rohini Kapil. Race, gender, sexuality, politics, and literature are prominent, best exemplified in Jane Hammond's "Fallen," an ode to soldiers in Iraq. Pearson outlines her own gender philosophies in art, along with the criteria for her self-confessed "surprising selection," omitting "obvious choices," to create an introspective, free-flowing collection that "will incite more questions than answers." Such is the nature of art, and a testament to this fine anthology. Over 250 b&w illustrations. (May)