I recently came across the work of Jane and Louise Wilson at 303 Gallery in New York. Their huge prints of a packed London bookshop stand in contrast to the ordered spaciousness of Candida Hofer's libraries. As a book lover, the images grab me in a lusting kind of way, pulling at my urge to collect. This feeling is tempered by the current state of the book. With digital versions of books becoming the norm, and reading amounts down in general, there are many who are openly questioning the necessity of libraries and bookstores. The images can't help but feel like a piece of nostalgia.
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