D: While in residence with The Museum of Loss and Renewal, I enjoyed perusing many of the library’s photobooks and was intrigued by their unique forms, papers, sizes and various editorial couplings of text and images. I later realized that their materiality is a political statement - a claim to physical and intellectual space. I learned that photobooks are reasonably priced works of art and potentially contain a myriad of creative constructions, juxtapositions, and strategies that I will now explore and apply to my practice beyond the gallery space. 

Independent art publishing is a vital tool for creating on-line platforms and printed copies that can be easily disseminated by libraries, bookstores, art institutions and the artistic community. Publishing photobooks is a strategy for endurance. Following a theme or storyline, it creates tangible, distributable evidence of thought and resistance that in comparison with the temporary nature of a single exhibit or performance are more difficult to maintain over time. Publishing is also a gathering tool. It forges communities around shared concerns, creating networks of solidarity that are local and transnational. This transforms disparate individuals into a conscious collective, which is the foundation of any political movement.