Sally Mann: The Family and the land

This book and my essay In It were In part done to address a storm of debate which encircled the display of this exhibition particularly the Inclusion of her work Immediate Family which has sparked controversy when shown. I set the work In an art historical context to emphasise how women artists across history have depicted their children In their art work.

£Mann has worked for years with her children so they have becomes used to her camera and working methods. They are never shown caught unawares or off-guard. They know they are being photographed and are complicit In that process. Mann and her children consider this work as an ongoing collaboration, rather than the more traditional dynamic between model and artist, and of course It Is also vital that Mann Is their mother. As a body of work this seems to be more about the relationship between mother and child."