©Alexandra Rowley Untitled (Immortal poems), 2009 From the series Portrait

Over the last decade, more and more photographic artists are using books as inspiration for work. Perhaps it is because the tangible object of the book is disappearing or that we have fetishized something that we can hold in our hands and cherish over generations, but for whatever the reason the result is varied and fascinating.  Dina Mintrani has curated a terrific exhibition with this idea in mind: The Lives of Books, which is on view at the Dina Mitrani Gallery in Miami through August 27th.

This exhibition brings together a group of photographs that celebrate books and their aesthetic qualities as still lives. While mindful of the narratives conveyed through their pages, this show invites the viewer to inspect the journey of the book itself.  In today’s dominantly digital world, these images remind us to revisit the printed page, the bindings, textures, stories and histories of books.

Artists included are Mary Ellen Bartley (New York), Ellen Cantor (California), Marina Font (Miami), Max Steven Grossman (Colombia), Vadim Gushchin (Russia), Kerry Mansfield (California), Alexandra Rowley (New York), Phil Toledano (New York), and Michael Zimmerer (Miami).

©Alexandra Rowley, Untitled (from the series Separation), 2016

©Ellen Cantor Prior Pleasures Series Alice In Wonderland 2013

©Ellen Cantor, Prior Pleasures Series The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 2013

©Kerry Mansfield Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, Interior Left Page From the series Expired

©Kerry Mansfield, Spines 11 from the series Expired

©Kerry Mansfield, Spines 12 from the series Expired

©Max Steven Grossman Jewelry, 2016

©Mary Ellen Bartley, A Road Divided, 2011

©MaryEllen Bartley, At the Edge of the Decipherable, 2010

©Marina Font Untitled (books), 2013

©Michael Zimmerer Book, 2016

©Phillip Toledano Untitled (Claudia’s Book) from When I Was Six, 2014

©Vadim Gushchin, Catalogues #1, 2013

©Vadim Gushchin Rarities #1, 2010

The Dina Mitrani Gallery opened in November 2008 and specializes in international contemporary photography. The gallery represents emerging and mid-career artists, and offers artists talks and lectures on photography as well as photo-based objects and books. The gallery is committed to promoting its artists, as well as working with other photography galleries to bring unique fine art photography to Miami.  The gallery’s mission is not only to exhibit and sell photography but also to educate and enhance community enrichment.