INTERSECTION is a collection of poetry, photography, and found texts by luke kurtis created as part of the artist’s rediscovery of his southern heritage. It’s his self-described “ode to the south.” Paired with the companion INTERSECTION zine, also published by bd-studios.com, the artist’s rural upbringing is contrasted with his adult life as a New York artist.

INTERSECTION

Arts & Photography

kurtis, luke

Photography & Video

bd-studios.com

In 1963, Allen Ginsberg traveled to Cambodia and visited the ancient Khmer temples. He wrote “Angkor Wat,” an eponymous poem about the temple complex. It was a very different time: pre-Vietnam War, pre-Khmer Rouge, and before the bustling tourism trade that is now the lifeblood of Siem Reap. Yet the Angkor Wat temples themselves remain a unique source of inspiration for poets and photographers who travel there from all over the world. Over half a century later, Angkor Wat by luke kurtis is both the artist’s homage to Ginsberg’s text as well a celebration of his own pilgrimages to the ancient city. Published in 1968, Ginsberg’s Angkor Wat book was a single long poem accompanied by photographs by Alexandra Lawrence. kurtis’s book is a suite of poems paired with his original photography. Chronicling the poet’s own travels where he explored mythical stories and experienced mystical visions, kurtis’s poems take you on a tour of Angkor Wat (and beyond) unlike any other and tell the story of one American poet deepening his Buddhist spirituality.

Angkor Wat: poetry and photography

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

Springtime in Byzantium collects three distinct but related works by luke kurtis: a poem titled theodora, a series of conceptual photographs titled marble paintings, and a performance art/video art piece titled labyrinth. Structured around and inspired by the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, this trilogy of works is presented alongside photographs and digital collage works also by the artist.The motif that pulls the book together is the bookmatched marble panels of San Vitale. "Its kaleidoscope-like forms are so captivating, yet they're overshadowed by the famous mosaics," says the artist. "If you stop and think about it, the bookmatched marble isn't out of place in a contemporary design sense. You could take the panels out of the church and put them in a modern building, and no one would bat an eye. I wanted to use my photographs to remove the panels conceptually, put them in your hands in the form of a book, and draw a line through hundreds of years to connect the past with the future."The works were created independently over several years and only conceived as a whole specifically for this book, altogether representing a decade of artistic practice, from 2011, when the first work was created, to 2021, when the project was realized in printed form. Though kurtis has published several poetry books, all of which feature his visual work, this is the first book where his visuals are the focus.

Springtime in Byzantium

History & Criticism

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Books by kurtis, luke