2024 award winner of the Independent Book Publishing Association IBPA BEN Benjamin Franklin Aawards :Arts and Photography
Society of Architectural Historians
Okun, who we’ve come to know for her multiple-exposure images of architecture, now turns her camera and computer toward landscapes of the world. Considering herself a “painter,” she uses her photos as raw material to create images of either ambiguous settings (is it the sky or the sea?) or distinctly fabricated worlds. At first look, it’s not immediately apparent that the images are constructed, but there is something surreal about them that makes you do a double take. These are not science-fiction fantasies; they could almost be real. Introductions by prolific design writer Michael Webb and Okun’s gallerist Craig Krull accompany her essay, which outlines the process by which she creates her tableaux. Reflecting on the images are mini-essays and quotes by a remarkable range of creative professionals—composers, writers, filmmakers, designers, artists, comedians—some of whom Okun knows personally. I looked back on Okun’s previous book of architectural work and noted that the difference between the architecture images made in camera and the landscape images created in the computer was more than the method. These layered landscapes are more immersive and expansive, magical and surreal, and create spaces for the viewer to dream.
JULIE TAYLOR
https://www.sahscc.org/site/index.php?function=book_details&id=79