'Blazing Light' is the new photobook and companion volume to the first major museum solo exhibition of renowned American photographer Mimi Plumb.
In the book, Plumb takes stock of her nearly 50-year career and brings together three of her most important series: The White Sky, Landfall (and The Golden City), and The Reservoir.
Since the 1970s, Plumb has documented the human-altered landscapes of California and the American West. Her images capture the deep social and psychological anxieties of American life at the end of the Cold War and in its aftermath. They address unbridled capitalism, climate change, and the threat of military conflict.
Instead of classic reportage photography, her black-and-white images are atmospheric, enigmatic, and full of pathos as well as subtle, absurdist irony. She often photographs teenagers in the suburbs or deserted landscapes to make emotional states such as isolation and uncertainty visible.
Mimi Plumb, born in December 1953 in Berkeley, California, is today an influential American documentary photographer and educator. For over 50 years, she has documented the human-altered landscapes and social fabric of the American West.
In 1971, at the age of 17, she began her studies at the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). She earned her Bachelor of Arts (BFA) degree in 1976 and returned for her Master of Arts (MFA), which she completed in 1986. After graduating, Plumb worked primarily as a photography instructor for decades. She taught at top-tier US institutions, including Stanford University, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
For many years, she kept her own photographs private; much of her archive from the 1970s and 1980s remained untouched for decades. It wasn't until 2018 that Mimi gained international recognition in the art world through the processing of her archives. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.
The book was published in February 2026 by the renowned art book publisher Radius Books. It serves as the official catalog for the traveling exhibition of the same name, which toured the USA from the beginning of 2026. The exhibition's venues are: High Museum of Art, Atlanta (February–May 2026), Johnson Museum at Cornell University, New York (Summer 2026), Norton Museum of Art, Florida (Winter 2026/2027), and Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (Spring 2027).
Mimi Plumb: Blazing Light / Blazing Light Photographs . Radius Books in co-publication with the High Museum of Art. 264 pages with 131 photographs. Texts: Scholarly essays and contributions by the curators and art historians Gregory Harris, Karen Irvine, Lauren Richman, Amanda Maddox, and Jordan Bass . 65 Dollar
GoSee : radiusbooks.org