John Isaacs

An open art book laid flat. The left page contains dense text and two small black and white photographs. The right page displays a full-page artwork of a beige textile banner with the words PLEASE LEAVE THIS WORLD written in large, black, spray-painted style capital letters.

An open art book displaying a two-page spread. The left page has a black-and-white photo of a vintage silver car with open doors inside a gallery, with text below. The right page shows a photo of a glowing white neon sign in cursive script against a dark wall, also with text underneath.

A flat-lay view of an open art book. The left page features a full-page color photograph of a sculpture; a boot-shaped vase covered in crystals holds an arrangement of dried flowers and twigs. The right page displays an essay titled Emotions That Need a Shadow, next to a small black and white photo of a weathered stone shrine in a lush, outdoor setting.

An overhead shot of an open book laid flat. The left page contains two columns of black text. The right page is mostly blank, featuring a single, wood-framed, black-and-white photograph. The photograph shows a young person with dark hair looking down at a miniature, topless woman standing in their cupped hands.

A photograph of a two-page spread in an open book. The left page features a text artwork in a bold, handwritten black font that reads, THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD IN WHICH I AM PROFESSIONALLY INVOLVED. The right page contains an interview transcript next to a small anatomical drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

A photograph of an open art book laid flat. The left page contains black text with a small inset image. The right page features a full-bleed photograph of a sculpture in a wooden and glass vitrine. The artwork is a fleshy, biomorphic object with long blonde hair hanging from it.

An open art book shows a photograph on the right-hand page. In a grey studio, a sculpture of a severed elephant's leg stands on a cardboard shipping box marked with MADE IN CHINA. The leg has realistic wrinkled grey skin and yellowed toenails, but the flat, severed top is painted with a colorful pie chart. The left page is blank except for a caption at the bottom.

An open book viewed from above. The left page features a photograph of a neon sign that reads VOTES FOR CHILDREN in multi-colored, child-like handwriting. The right page is titled THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and contains an essay alongside a reproduction of a handwritten sketch.

John Isaacs

€ 44.00

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Edited by: Philipp Bollmann

June 2023, 256 Pages, 152 Photos

Hardcover

252mm x 308mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5511-5

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

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The Architecture of Empathy is the title of a marble statue by John Isaacs and at the same time the basic attitude and raw material of all his works. The British artist made a name for himself as a Young British Artist around Damien Hirst in the 1990s with his hyper-realistic wax sculptures. Conscious about not locking himself into one style, he experiments with a wide variety of materials and techniques, from ceramics, neon, bronze, marble and sculpture to photography. This richly illustrated publication is the first comprehensive overview of his work from the 90s to the present, and reveals not just his broad reaching multifaceted technical scope, but also his psycho-anthropological poetic through numerous essays and conversations with companions.