Book Review: Mind the Gap by Joshua Lutz

Posted on August 12th, 2018 by Cary Benbow

Mind the Gap points to the physical, mental and psychological gap we are confronted with in our daily lives. It is a reference to the gap between thoughts as well as the gap between coherence and confusion. Caught between thinking something is one thing and the reality of what it is, Mind the Gap functions as a reminder of the effort needed to let go of the stories we tell ourselves and rest for a brief moment in the space between thoughts.

The text interspersed with Lutz’s photographs is a hint at the narrative running through the mind of the protagonist. It is up to the reader to make the decision whether the book is ultimately narrative fiction, or the lucid writing of a person exploring or living within varying states of suffering, feelings of depression, despondency, or paranoia issues. We are left to sort out the balance between photographs depicting assumed truths, and narrative that creates an arc of personal emotions.

There are these two worlds vying for my attention at all times. In one of them this diagnosis has metastasized to the brain and I am no longer able to care for my children. The bank takes over the house and I become an albatross in hands not fully formed. In the other world, noise shuts down for a very split second and the smallest fragment of light becomes a pathway to immortality. Colour is no longer a placeholder and language is no longer a tool. You can read this as small moments of clarity or large chunks of confusion. Either way, they mix with the noise and become gaps I long to possess. – Joshua Lutz

The book drew me in, I was struck by a sense of confusion and intrigue and I found myself paging ahead to read another section of text (with titles such as ‘Voluntary Admission, Repeat After Me, and Occam’s Razor), then flipping backward or forward to make a visual connection between the images and the writing – searching for meaning much like the writer/author seems to beg the reader to empathize – As if to say, ‘Don’t you see? Why doesn’t anyone see how alone I am with these feelings? Now do you see?’

Both the images and text in Mind The Gap unravel a story of attempting to find some assemblage of truth in the chaos of hierarchy, class and privilege. It is a journey for clarity, hijacked by sex, addiction, and mental illness. As the reader travels from a black and white world of photographs into color, they are confronted with a space of groundlessness. The protagonists in the story are found clinging and grasping to everything they believe to be true.

An exhibition of the author’s work will be shown at ClampArt gallery. “Joshua Lutz: Mind the Gap” is the artist’s third solo show, which runs from July 26th to September 13th, 2018. There will be an artists reception on Thursday, September 13th from 6pm to 8pm. ClampArt is located at 247 West 29th Street Ground Floor, New York City. For more information, please visit www.clampart.com

Mind the Gap by Joshua Lutz
ISBN 978 90 5330 894 3
Format: 20 x 24.5 cm
Hardbound with linen cover
160 pages with photos in duotone and full color

Joshua Lutz graduated with an MFA in photography from Bard College/The International Center for Photography in 2005, and is now Assistant Professor of Photography at SUNY Purchase. His other monographs include Meadowlands (powerHouse, 2008) and Hesitating Beauty (Schilt Publishing, 2012). He has received many prestigious awards and grants, including The Aaron Siskind Fellowship; The Tierney Fellowship; and the Hudson Year Fellowship. Lutz has exhibited his work internationally in numerous shows over the past fifteen years.

To purchase a copy of Mind the Gap, please visit https://joshualutz.com/mind-the-gap

All photographs are © Joshua Lutz, used by permission, and are provided courtesy of Schilt Publishing.

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