Michael Peven
Fayettville, AR  

Open…Heart Surgery

$250

mpeven@uark.edu           

www.califiabooks.com/finepress/p/primitive-press.html

Artist Statement

Open…Heart Surgery, 2006

A "primer" that details my heart surgery in 2002, images reveal my chest going from healthy and hairy to shaved and injured, held together with staples and strips, through an angiogram and x-ray, sternum and lungs, into the heart and beyond. The book is bound on the left and right sides and pages generally open in the middle through a series of increasingly complex methods. Such as a "fringe" made to the approximate scale and shape of the staples or undoing a metal twist tie on the image of the sternum in order to proceed to the next page.

Artist Biography

Michael Peven is a Professor of Art at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville where he directs the photography program. His creative work in the areas of unique and limited edition artists books, photography and installation have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are in numerous public collections.

All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.