Primarily recognized for his immersive and somber installations revolving around themes of history, memory and loss through the lens of photographic representation, Christian Boltanski has had an enduring practice of artists’ books that has spanned his career. Souvenir de Jeunesse Interpretes par Christian Boltanski (roughly translated: Memories of Youth Performed by Christian Boltanski) presents a series of photographic self portraits, with Boltanski cast as a vaudevillian ventriloquist. Each of the theatrical vignettes are titled around themes of parenting and familial roles with the dummy playing the part of a helpless and malleable child. -Publisher

Text in French.

NOTE: This book is from the library of Edit DeAk, the late critic and curator who was a co-founder of the seminal artists’ periodical Art-Rite, as well as Printed Matter.