Affinities

Written as a series of linked essays, interwoven with a reflection on affinity itself, Affinities completes a trilogy, with Essayism and Suppose a Sentence, about the intimate and abstract pleasures of reading and looking.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 16 February 2023
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions

When we express affinity with an object or image, or suggest that affinities exist between such entities, what do we truly mean? Affinities is a profound and introspective exploration of a sensation that transcends precise categorization into taste, desire, or alliance but encompasses elements of all these. This book takes a discrete approach, examining images that have deeply resonated with the author over extended periods or gained newfound significance during the months of pandemic isolation, when the visual landscape had contracted. Within its pages, you will find a captivating array of images, including historical works by renowned artists such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Dora Maar, Claude Cahun, Samuel Beckett, and Andy Warhol. Additionally, there are scientific or vernacular images, such as marine creatures, migraine auras, astronomical illustrations inspired by dreams, family photographs, film stills, and records of atomic devastation. Furthermore, contemporary art by artists like Rinko Kawauchi, Susan Hiller, and John Stezaker is showcased. Crafted as a series of interconnected essays, interwoven with a reflection on affinity itself, Affinities is an extraordinary testament to the profound and abstract joys of reading and gazing.

Weight: 310g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781804270165