283 - Roe ETHRIDGE (born 1969). *Sacrifice Your Body*. Mack Books, 2014. – *Le Luxe*, Mack Books, 2012. Roe Ethridge’s practice reflects a free and insatiable spirit; his constantly evolving visual sensibility has spawned a multitude of imitators within what is now known as the “new school of synthetic photography.” In this latest artist’s book, Ethridge fuses a rich palette of photographic tropes: he blends personal documentary images—taken in western Palm Beach County, where his mother grew up—with surrealist collages, as well as a series of outtakes from a photo shoot for Chanel. All of this is interwoven with what appears to be a meticulously orchestrated staged scene: a gleaming white Durango SUV sinks into a canal before being pulled out. This clash of visual styles, narratives, and meanings creates a constant dissonance, underscored by the neon-lit injunction that gives the book its title: SACRIFICE YOUR BODY. Ethridge’s narrative evokes a sense of unease reminiscent of David Lynch’s films; it lucidly undermines the truth, morality, and materialism deeply rooted in the American way of life. *Le Luxe* (second edition): this book by American artist Roe Ethridge takes its title from the French expression “C’est pas du luxe”—an ironic phrase that highlights both the superfluous nature of luxury and its vital importance to existence. Such paradoxes run through Ethridge’s entire body of work; *Le Luxe* chronicles his practice over the past decade, without ever succumbing to the heavy-handed solemnity of a traditional retrospective. Drawing from his vast archives—ranging from personal photographs and magazine commissions to screenshots gathered online—the artist continues his exploration of a photographic practice that rejects the very idea of a “finished work.” Ethridge echoes Eggleston when he declares himself to be “at war with the finished product,” at a time when digital photography tends, on the contrary, toward absolute idealization. Formal perfection, often associated with photography, is called into question here by the very design of the book, which also references Henri Matisse’s famous observation: “Accuracy is not truth.” ...two of his paintings, *Le Luxe*). Composed of three parts, *Le Luxe* is set within a unique context: the artist’s daily life, as he worked from November 2005 to January 2010 on a commission to document a building in downtown Manhattan, located in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center. This narrative establishes a precarious balance within the fissures that separate the analog from the digital, while reflecting Ethridge’s constant questioning of his own certainties. Roe Ethridge was born in 1969 in Miami and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) with a major in photography from the College of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Ethridge’s images arise from his direct experience of the world. His multifaceted and insatiable gaze seeks to capture the vivid and intimate details of the places he explores. In doing so, he moves freely between the classic genres of the photographic medium: portraiture, landscape, and still life.” Mack. (2 volumes in total)