LOCKDOWN
ARCHIVE
MIKE MANDEL
CHANTAL ZAKARI
2018
DROP
DEAD
GORGEOUS
2020
artist's book/photo-book
7 x 7"
100 pages plus cover
indigo press
first printing edition of 100
signed and numbered
$35
publication date: August 2020
Eighteen Publication
distributed by the artist
For Press Only: Request PDF
INTRODUCTION
Drop Dead Gorgeous is a visual book comprised of scientific and editorial illustrations of the Covid-19 virus sourced online during April, May and June, 2020.
In the style of colorist painting, the book sequence reveals the tension between the seductive aesthetics of the picture and its deadly pandemic effect. While scientific images transform into editorial illustrations, the book gains momentum building a narrative toward a sci-fi ending.
As Covid-19 affects every nation, some images in the book are paired with the headlines published in a variety of languages. Like photographs made of the Kennedy assassination, the Challenger disaster, and the terror of 9/11, the iconic imagery of Covid-19 collected in Drop Dead Gorgeous is informed by a world wide visual lexicon specific to this moment.
Generously supported by a faculty research fund from Tufts University.
SAMPLE PAGES
( click on a page to see it larger )
REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS
BOSTON GLOBE
by Cate McQuaid, July 23, 2020
TUFTS NOW
How Does Art Change Our Perceptions of Covid-19
by Taylor McNeil, August 12, 2020