Isaac Layman: Paradise

In a few short years, Isaac Layman (b. 1977) has established himself as an exceptional talent. In Paradise, Layman expands his practice of constructing large-scale, psychologically charged photographic-based visions of the spaces and objects found in his Seattle home. His most recent photographic constructions explore the desire to fabricate escapes, destinations, and monuments and the role discontent plays in driving the need to create imagined perfection. Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker surveys Layman's work in the context of dreams of utopia in suburbia, secession from the city, nostalgia for paradise, and the work of fellow artists including the late Gordon Matta-Clark. The book also includes an essay by the exceptional poet and author Doug Nufer. Jo-Anne Birnie Danzkeris director of the Frye Art Museum, Seattle, and a curator of contemporary and historical art who has published extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America. Doug Nuferis a Seattle writer, poet, and performer and an editor of American Book Review.