Book of Sons by Tara Wray explores the childhood experiences of her identical twin sons in rural Vermont. The book blends lyrical and documentary styles to offer an intimate portrayal of the family’s open ended life story. The photographs are presented in an accordion-style design, allowing the images to run together and overlap, much like memories. Through Wray’s lens, readers are given a multi-dimensional view of the boys’ shared experiences, as well as her own understanding of each of them as individuals. The book is a work of love dedicated to her sons and husband, and it follows her earlier acclaimed works, Too Tired for Sunshine and Year of the Beast, both of which explore themes of family and childhood through photography.
Tara Wray (b 1978) is an artist whose practice includes writing, filmmaking, photography and painting. Recently she published the photobooks Year of the Beast (Too Tired Press, 2021), Too Tired for Sunshine (Yoffy Press, 2018), El Dorado Freddy’s (Belt Publishing, 2020, a collaboration with writer Danny Caine), as well as several limited-run artist books. Wray has exhibited her work at galleries and festivals around the world, including Kunst Haus Wien in Vienna, Austria and the TULCA Festival of Visual Arts in Galway, Ireland. Her photos are held in public and private collections, including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and the George Eastman Museum. As a filmmaker, Wray has directed two feature-length documentaries, Manhattan, Kansas and Cartoon College. She lives off grid in rural Vermont with her family and rescue dog.
