13 Presidents
In 2014, Marisa J. Futernick drove nearly ten thousand miles across America, visiting all thirteen of the nation’s presidential libraries along the way. 13 Presidents is the result: an artist’s book that combines photographs from the journey with a suite of short stories. Mixing fact and fiction, each President from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush is a protagonist in this collection of unexpected portraits.
The photographs, shot on analogue film, depict the everyday details of the towns that these men are from, including the homes where they were born, and their final resting places. 13 Presidents weaves together personal narrative with wider cultural observation, forming a vision of America that is both invented and true.
Published by Slimvolume (2016)
Distributed by Cornerhouse
Softback, 304 pages, 8.3 x 5.8 in
With 13 short stories and 274 color and black-and-white photographs
Designed by Fraser Muggeridge studio
See more from this project:
Shortlisted for the BarTur Photobook Award from The Photographers' Gallery, London
Bring a Folding Chair
Published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign
and to coincide with the exhibition
Marisa J. Futernick: Popular Vote
The Art Gallery at Glendale Community College
Glendale, Greater Los Angeles, California
October 1–November 18, 2022
Softback, 20 pages, 8.5 x 5.5 in
Black-and-white on colored paper
$10 plus postage
January
Published by California Fever Press (2019)
Softback, 24 pages, 9 x 6 in, color
$15 / £10 plus postage
The Front Lawns of One Block: 20 Houses, 1 Apartment Building, a Law Office, and a Mortuary (In No Particular Order)
Published by
California Fever Press & Kingsgate Project Space (2018)
Softback, 36 pages, 9 x 6 in, color
$12 / £8 plus postage
This publication is a companion to Investment Opportunity, a 2018 billboard commission at Kingsgate Project Space, London. The work continues Futernick's ongoing interest in real estate, property, and place.
How I Taught Umberto Eco to Love the Bomb
Featuring real-life cultural critics as fictional characters, How I Taught Umberto Eco to Love the Bomb is the tale of a California road trip, with Futernick serving as driver, tour guide, and American optimist.
The book combines original color photographs with a short story by the artist, and has been produced as a limited edition of 40, hand-numbered and signed.
Published by RA Editions & California Fever Press (2015)
Hardcover, 68 pages, 7 x 7 in, color
Limited edition of 40, hand-numbered and signed
The Watergate Complex
Produced as part of the site-specific installation The Watergate Complex (exhibited at Rice + Toye, London, in 2015), this publication weaves together fact, Presidential trivia, and fiction to narrate the Watergate scandal.
The Watergate Complex, situated in Washington, DC, is the location of the notorious 1972 break-in to the Democratic National Committee’s campaign headquarters, an event that became synonymous with the subsequent cover-up scandal involving the administration of President Richard M. Nixon. The scandal, and the name itself—Watergate— have become embedded within our cultural history, even resulting in the suffix ‘–gate’ being commonly used to denote a scandal. In contrast, the Watergate stands as a banal and unassuming building. It still contains much sought-after apartments, a newly renovated hotel, and office space. Other than a small plaque marking its status on the National Register of Historic Places, the Watergate continues to go about its daily business.
Published by Rice + Toye (2015)
Softback, 20 pages, 8.3 x 5.8 in (A5), black-and-white with color cover
Birthplace Richard Nixon
2012
Softback, 8 pages, 8.3 x 5.8 in (A5), color on colored paper
Each copy is signed by the artist
$5 / £3 plus postage
