Diana Michener

Jim Dine redefines everything, his life and his (he)art in these 52 books. Trying to realize the depth of his aesthetic and profane reality, the books are also documents of an artistic consciousness, of an intense biography, of personal likes and dislikes, of formal richness and of exploding craftsmanship, of an exceptional imagination.These books invent the context for a new melody for the art of Jim Dine, for all the major byways of this seemingly inexhaustible creativity, which combines dream and reality — it is a composition for all the people who would like to sing a new song, maybe their own song.Dine has reflected authentically on his own identity and through it the identity of reality, nature, art, thoughts, feelings in an extraordinary poetic way: we see a POEM, we read an IMAGE. They are books one may read and regard as a summary of an unusual life.This Hot Dream first appeared as an idea 13 years ago. Steidl embraced and blessed the project so I went ahead. I stewed about it for two years then I stood around waiting to talk to Gerhard about it then finally I got down to putting the books together. My method, as in all my work, is the use of collage, painting and drawing, and correcting; coupled with my writing and my untouched photographs. The fact of making a book a week and the sensual possibilities i.e. the act of making a union with humans through the smell of the ink on the paper, the feel of the images and words. Hot Dream tells a lot about me, Dine, and bookmaking. Jim Dine, Göttingen, June 2018

A Song of Life presents Diana Michener's (born 1940) poignant photographs of animals taken in India, Paris and in various zoos throughout Europe and the USA.