Martha Rossler: 3 Works

In 3 Works, Martha Rosler braids together three pieces tracing the ways in which photography's aesthetic conventions and social practices fail or succeed in generating socially meaningful work. The three works are "The Restoration of High Culture in Chile", a 1972 piece that examines the degrees of political anesthesia and corruption a successful adaptation to high culture implies; "The Bowery in Two Inadequate Descriptive Systems", a 1974 photo work in which contemporary urban photography's capacity to continue documentary photography's historical work is questioned; and "In, Around, and Afterthoughts (on Documentary Photography)", a 1981 essay exploring these questions more systematically. Heavy card covers with a metal spiral binding. 89 pages; b&w photographic plates and reproductions through out; 11 x 8 inches.