Thin Skin

In the simplest descriptive sense, Ann Mandelbaum’s photographs are merely close-ups of portions of the human body ambiguously and sensually presented. In a larger sense, they are rigidly composed images, manipulated in various ways to create an almost textural viewing sensation. One of her most recent series — extreme close-ups of her parents’ aging necks — has resulted in a unique set of “body landscapes” that draws the viewer deep within the surface.