The Appalachian Mountains, a mountain range in the eastern United States, have historically been associated with economic and social deprivation. This region has been the subject of numerous political and media interventions, which have reinforced its negative image. For nearly twenty years, Stacy Kranitz has been developing a major body of work on the Appalachians, combining personal snapshots, visual archives and literary essays.
Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down unravels the complex social history of this region and explores the role of photography in its representation across generations. In 2013, the artist befriended Pat Greene and wove his life story into her research. She also draws on the writings of figures associated with the region, including J.D. Vance, who grew up in a family living in precarious conditions before becoming the current Vice-President of the United States.
Through the figure of Pat, Kranitz demonstrates how photography has documented poverty over the decades, yet has also served as a tool of propaganda, an instrument of oppression and a means of redemption. Derived from a publication, the installation critiques the way in which images shape a region, its people and its history.
Book:
210 × 275 mm, 252 pp.
78 color photographs, 49 black-and-white archival and press photographs, and 97 black-and-white and color documents
Texts by Matthew Algeo, Stacy Kranitz, Andrew Malan Milward, Mesha Maren and Whitney Phillips
Printed offset litho on coated and uncoated FSC-certified paper
Otabind hardback
Published by Terrible Baby and Images Vevey
The Appalachian Mountains, a mountain range in the eastern United States, have historically been associated with economic and social deprivation. This region has been the subject of numerous political and media interventions, which have reinforced its negative image. For nearly twenty years, Stacy Kranitz has been developing a major body of work on the Appalachians, combining personal snapshots, visual archives and literary essays.
Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down unravels the complex social history of this region and explores the role of photography in its representation across generations. In 2013, the artist befriended Pat Greene and wove his life story into her research. She also draws on the writings of figures associated with the region, including J.D. Vance, who grew up in a family living in precarious conditions before becoming the current Vice-President of the United States.
Through the figure of Pat, Kranitz demonstrates how photography has documented poverty over the decades, yet has also served as a tool of propaganda, an instrument of oppression and a means of redemption. Derived from a publication, the installation critiques the way in which images shape a region, its people and its history.
Book:
210 × 275 mm, 252 pp.
78 color photographs, 49 black-and-white archival and press photographs, and 97 black-and-white and color documents
Texts by Matthew Algeo, Stacy Kranitz, Andrew Malan Milward, Mesha Maren and Whitney Phillips
Printed offset litho on coated and uncoated FSC-certified paper
Otabind hardback
Published by Terrible Baby and Images Vevey
