The First Monograph on the Acclaimed New York-Based Artist

Lisa Oppenheim. From Abigail to Jacob is the first comprehensive monograph dedicated to the work of New York artist Lisa Oppenheim, whose experimental practice redefines the boundaries of photography, film, and archival research.

Published on the occasion of her solo exhibition at the Grazer Kunstverein, Hamburg in 2014, this volume explores a decade of Oppenheim’s work (2004–2014), which combines archival images, film fragments, and found photographs with historical and contemporary photographic techniques.

Deeply influenced by conceptual photography, the Pictures Generation, and American structuralist cinema, Oppenheim investigates the ways in which visual culture shapes our understanding of history. Her process involves the appropriation, deconstruction, and recontextualization of existing imagery, creating new meanings through a kind of visual archaeology.

Her experimental approach merging analog and digital methods transforms photographs and videos into meditations on time, memory, and cultural narratives. Drawing on materials often sourced online, Oppenheim reconstructs these images using obsolete and cutting-edge techniques, offering a new lens through which to view the past.

With its richly illustrated pages and in-depth analysis, this monograph is a vital reference for anyone interested in contemporary art, conceptual photography, and the ongoing dialogue between archives and artistic production.

Selected as part of the Monsieur Steichen exhibition

Bilingual edition: English / German

Release date: 2014

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 24 x 33 cm

Authors: Karen Archey, Angie Keefer, Lisa Oppenheim, and Christian Rattemeyer

Edited by Florence Derieux, Krist Gruijthuijsen and Bettina Steinbrügge

Graphic design by Marc Hollenstein

Publisher: Les Presses du Réel

ISBN: 978-3956790409

€42,00