Described by Deborah Solomon in a New York Times profile as “one of contemporary art’s most compelling painters,” Marlene Dumas has continuously explored the complex range of human emotions, often probing questions of gender, race, sexuality, and economic inequality through her dramatic and at times haunting figural compositions. Originally published in 2010 on the occasion of Against the Wall, Dumas’s first solo presentation at David Zwirner in New York, this much sought-after exhibition catalogue—which sold out shortly after publication—has been reprinted to coincide with the artist’s 2014–2015 European retrospective exhibition The Image as Burden, organized by Tate Modern, London in collaboration with the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and the Fondation Beyeler, Basel. Throughout her career, the internationally renowned artist has continually created lyrically charged compositions that eulogize the frailties of the human body, probing issues of love and melancholy. At times her subjects are more topical, merging socio-political themes with personal experience and art-historical antecedents to reflect unique perspectives on the most salient and controversial issues facing contemporary society. The large-scale works included in Against the Wall are primarily based on media imagery and newspaper clippings documenting the conflict between Israel and Palestine, exploring the tension between the photographic documentation of reality and the constructed, imaginary space of painting. The Wall, the painting that began the series, at first appears to present a scene at the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall), an important site of religious pilgrimage located in Jerusalem. However, this work is based upon a photograph from a newspaper that portrayed a group of Orthodox Jews on their way to pray at Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem. Through her delicate treatment of every scene, Dumas destabilizes preconceived notions about what, in fact, is being pictured—engaging the often ambiguous nature of ideas like truth or justice. “In a sense they are my first landscape paintings,” Dumas further notes in the catalogue, “or should I say ‘territory paintings.’ That is why they are so big.” The somber color plates reproduced in the publication are given context by Dumas’s own musings, a text framed as a letter to David Zwirner in which she tries to tell him “about the ‘why’ ” of this powerful series.
An account of Yeates' ascent of one of the world's largest vertical rock faces, the 4,000 foot Central Tower of Paine in Chile. The greatest difficulties come not from the elements but from within themselves; crippled with fear the team is forced into a retreat but after resting return to complete the climb.
Against the Wall By Rhyannon Byrd She's a good girl ready for her turn to be bad. He's a hard-ass set on resisting the inevitable. When temptation lives just around the corner, who knows what wicked wonders will result? Shea Dresden doesn't need her PhD to know she's more brains than bod-too much bookworm, too little bada-bing!-but this is getting ridiculous. Her sexy nextdoor neighbor, the sinfully irresistible Ryan McCall, has been going out of his way to ignore her for months now. She's flirted, asked him out, done everything but beg-and still come up empty-handed. Tired of waiting for what she wants, Shea hatches a scheme to snag the stubborn ATF agent once and for all. It's the perfect plan, and she's willing to do anything to make it work. But when her little strategy backfires, Shea finds she's being rescued instead of ravished. And she still wants her mind-shattering night of sexual ecstasy. What's a desperate woman to do? Rock his world, of course! Shea's not about to take another no, especially when she's already got the sexy stud in her bedroom. She may have to swallow her pride to get what she wants-but by the end of the night, it's Ryan who's paying all the lip service. Ryan McCall's been burned before, and he knows better than to play with fire. Too bad the shy little scholar living right nextdoor affects him like gasoline on an open flame. He's done his best to stay the hell away from her, but once he gets that first taste, he knows he's in some serious trouble. Shea may be looking for wild times between the sheets, but Ryan soon finds he's ready to convince her to take a chance on a bad boy like himself-forever
Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title Typically residing in areas of concentrated urban poverty, too many young black men are trapped in a horrific cycle that includes active discrimination, unemployment, violence, crime, prison, and early death. This toxic mixture has given rise to wider stereotypes that limit the social capital of all young black males. Edited and with an introductory chapter by sociologist Elijah Anderson, the essays in Against the Wall describe how the young black man has come to be identified publicly with crime and violence. In reaction to his sense of rejection, he may place an exaggerated emphasis on the integrity of his self-expression in clothing and demeanor by adopting the fashions of the "street." To those deeply invested in and associated with the dominant culture, his attitude is perceived as profoundly oppositional. His presence in public gathering places becomes disturbing to others, and the stereotype of the dangerous young black male is perpetuated and strengthened. To understand the origin of the problem and the prospects of the black inner-city male, it is essential to distinguish his experience from that of his pre-Civil Rights Movement forebears. In the 1950s, as militant black people increasingly emerged to challenge the system, the figure of the black male became more ambiguous and fearsome. And while this activism did have the positive effect of creating opportunities for the black middle class who fled from the ghettos, those who remained faced an increasingly desperate climate. Featuring a foreword by Cornel West and sixteen original essays by contributors including William Julius Wilson, Gerald D. Jaynes, Douglas S. Massey, and Peter Edelman, Against the Wall illustrates how social distance increases as alienation and marginalization within the black male underclass persist, thereby deepening the country's racial divide.
Finalizing the details on a high-end golf course should have been a breeze for spunky landscape architect Sophie Smith. But when this born-and-bred city girl is literally swept off her feet by a sexy cowboy on horseback, she realizes country life has some serious (and seriously steamy) possibilities. That is, until she finds out exactly who her smoking hot wrangler really is. Tribal lawyer Jake Lodge will do whatever it takes to block the development. But Sophie is a distraction he didn't expect. A distraction that makes his blood burn. Two different worlds. Two opposing sides. And when they finally give into temptation, the consequences will shake the foundations of both of their lives... Each book in the Maverick Montana series is STANDALONE: * Against the Wall * Under the Covers * Rising Assets * Over The Top
This stunning book of photographs captures the graffiti and art that have transformed Israel's wall into a living canvas of resistance and solidarity. Featuring the work of artists Banksy, Ron English, Blu, and others, as well as Palestinian artists and activists, these photographs express outrage, compassion, and touching humor. They illustrate the wall's toll on lives and livelihoods, showing the hardship it has brought to tens of thousands of people, preventing their access to work, education, and vital medical care. Mixed with the images are portraits and vignettes, offering a heartfelt and inspiring account of a people determined to uphold their dignity in the face of profound injustice.
Curtis J. Austin’s Up Against the Wall chronicles how violence brought about the founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, dominated its policies, and finally destroyed the party as one member after another—Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Alex Rackley—left the party, was killed, or was imprisoned. Austin shows how the party’s early emphasis in the 1960s on self-defense, though sorely needed in black communities at the time, left it open to mischaracterization, infiltration, and devastation by local, state, and federal police forces and government agencies. Austin carefully highlights the internal tension between advocates of a more radical position than the Panthers took, who insisted on military confrontation with the state, and those such as Newton and David Hilliard, who believed in community organizing and alliance building as first priorities. Austin interviewed a number of party members who had heretofore remained silent. With the help of these stories, Austin is able to put the violent history of the party in perspective and show that the “survival” programs, such as the Free Breakfast for Children program and Free Health Clinics, helped the black communities they served to recognize their own bases of power and ability to save themselves.
This traditional auteurist survey closely examines the films of director John Frankenheimer, assessing the thematic and stylistic elements of such films as The Iceman Cometh, The Manchurian Candidate, and Bird Man of Alcatraz. It begins with a complete overview of Frankenheimer's life and career. A chronology lists production history details for each of his films, and a comprehensive biography draws attention to Frankenheimer's early artistic development. Subsequent chapters categorize his films by genre and theme, examining each film through analytical critiques and plot synopses. Multiple appendices include an analysis of Frankenheimer's short films Maniac at Large and Ambush, a complete filmography, and a suggested reading list.
The book offers a step-by-step blueprint of radical proposals for the U.S.-Mexican border that go far beyond traditional initiatives to ease restrictions on immigration. Up Against the Wall provides the background to understanding how the border has become a fraud, resulting in nothing more than the criminalization of Mexican and other migrants. The book argues that the border with Mexico should be completely open for Mexicans wishing to travel north.