Deana Lawson's debut monograph hit me like a ton of bricks. At first glance these domestic scenes seem be documentary. Instead they're carefully choreographed by Lawson to explore issues of race, class, and the consensual aspect of portraiture. This book scrambled many of my preconceptions with a series as bizarre as it is original. Packaged beautifully by Aperture in a large volume with reproductions approaching exhibition quality.
Blake Andrews is a photographer based in Eugene, OR. He writes about photography at www.blakeandrews.blogspot.com
