University of South Florida

College of Design, Art & Performance

University of South Florida

Assistant Professor of Photography Jason Lazarus Publishes New Book of Photogram Prints

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Portrait of Jason Lazarus in front of a white background.

Jason Lazarus, assistant professor of photography at the USF School of Art and Art History, has published a new book of photogram prints titled 202-456-1111.

In this series, Lazarus uses photo developer to hand-paint the phone number of the White House — the number from which the series is named — to establish a personal connection to an event leading up to the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Lazarus lives with a physical condition, arthrogryposis, the same condition that afflicts the New York Times reporter, Serge F. Kovalesk, who the then presidential candidate publicly mocked in November of 2015.

Lazarus’s 202-456-1111 is a limited edition and open edition book that represents Lazarus’ photograms and includes an essay by artist Martha Rosler, a New York-based artist whose work focuses on the public sphere. The limited edition of the book comes in a screen printed envelope and includes a monumental accordion piece with details of prints as well as a book that represents 35 of the photograms in full. Both books include the Rosler essay.

Jason Lazarus is an artist, curator, educator, and writer based in Florida. His work frequently deals with the politics of representation and is often an extension of the photography field. Lazarus has exhibited widely throughout the U.S. and internationally including at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, theGeorge Eastman Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Martha Rosler is an important artist, writer, and educator of the 20th and 21st Centuries. She is renowned for her work in photography, photomontage, video, performance, for her use of popular forms such as television and advertising, and for her critical work on subjects of feminism, war, and homelessness.

Banner photo (top): A look inside Jason Lazarus's new book of photograms titled 202-456-1111.