The Assembly
[Portland, ME]: Carrie Scanga, 2025. Hard Cover. Fine binding. Item #9872
Oblong quarto, 9-3/4" x 13." [14] pp., illus. From an extremely limited edition, this is number 3 of 4 copies. There are an additional 2 artist's proofs. Accordion-bound with cloth over boards, a decorative motif stamped on both covers. Decorative endpapers and 14 page-spreads are intaglio-printed copperplate etchings with coloring via chine colle. Fine in original clamshell with decorative motif stamped across the covers.
A timely and relevant work, Scanga writes that this book was inspired by the struggle with agency amidst oppression and censorship. In it, Scanga captures a tension between the public arena where every word and deed is fraught and the rich life in the safety of the private arena. The dark intaglio printed pages of the accordion book read as a haunting scene of a school assembly devoid of people. Turning the pages, the viewer engages in a hunt for the action, but it seems always just out of view. Then, from backstage, a fantastical broom sweeps joyously through multiple spreads, flitting up debris, and offering a source for a visual motif that persists throughout the pages. The viewers find some relief, even substantive action, in this irreverent play in the dark behind the stage. The final page shows apartment windows with curtains drawn, assuring the reader that no one saw as they let themselves be swept away. Scanga's book is a thoughtful commentary on the stifling effects of the toxicity within the public arena, the cost of which is to drive substantive thought, dialog, and action backstage where it is hidden and cannot serve the larger community.
Price: $2,650.00