Tiempos difíciles

Artist's book by Colombian artist Lorenzo Masnah, comprising illustrations--recycled, recreated, screen-printed--collected from an array of international newspapers and magazines, focusing on human rights violations, global disasters, and national tragedies. When asked why he created a book of such bleak images, Masnah explained that "reworking images I collected and self-publishing them was my way of honoring those people struck by unforseeable disasters....It is also my therapy." Masnah goes on to describe the way in which he puts his books together: "After I select the images that I want to include in the book, I dissect and rework them - often with lines and elements influenced by graffiti - and then I screen print them. When I'm satisfied with my selection of images, inks and colors -- with feedback from folks at my local deli -- I bind the pages with cardboard covers, recycled from boxes I get from nearby restaurants"--Interview with the artist, "Speaking with Lorenzo Masnah about 'Hard Times/Tiempos Difíciles," on Street Art NYC website, posted Oct. 29, 2012: http://streetartnyc.org/blog/2012/10/29/speaking-with-lorenzo-masnah-about-hard-timestiempos-dificiles/