By Karen Hanmer
Glenview, Illinois: Karen Hanmer, 2007. Edition of 30.
     Exactly what we’ve come to expect of Karen Hanmer’s work: structure and content in lockstep, meticulous craft, pointed and unsubtle satire eliciting immediate visceral response. Again she reminds us that emotional impact doesn’t depend on complexity. The only incongruity is emotional: the books reference nursery rhymes, toys, and the innocence of children; the minimal text of House of Cards – from Abu Ghraib to Paul Wolfowitz – elicits from at least one reader tears of loss and frustration.
     Karen Hanmer: "An image of the White House deconstructs as text on reverse documents blunders and evil-doings since the 2001 inauguration."
     20.5 x 3.5 x .25" extended; 2.5 x 3.5 x 1.25 closed. Jacob’s Ladder: Pigment inkjet prints, binders’ board, polypropylene. Illustration in collaboration with Henry Maron.
(Last copy in the edition)