Shaun Levin

Not a Day Goes By

Shaun Levin

Not a Day Goes By

Edition Size

unique

Media

Charcoal, Crayon, Gesso, Walnut Ink

Format

Artist Book

Dimensions

16.6 × 12 in

Pages

28

Location

Madrid, Spain

Enclosure

Slipcase

$ 4,800.00

1 in stock


This book is a proclamation to society about what it means to navigate illness, trauma and isolation in a structure that is largely unprepared and reluctant to incorporate the realities of the traumatized body.

The more we listen to the stories of those who go to war – stories of what they did and the consequences of their time spent in conflicts – the more likely we are to do whatever it takes to avoid military action. These are the stories our society is made up of, the consequences of political decisions, and the absence of choice for many young soldiers, whether through conscription, financial hardship, or conditioning. What these men and women bring home are the shadow aspects of our society, the consequences of stories ignored and feared. PTSD, shame, guilt, misophonia. Hidden psychological conditions that often have very physical manifestations, whether its violence, homelessness, addictions, anxiety, or chronic physical disorders, such as IBS.

Not a Day Goes By tells the story of those veterans that are silenced. Through explicit and surreal imagery, the book confronts us with the personal outcomes of political decisions and how our bodies carry the fallout of global decision-making on a day-to-day level. Society is made up of individual bodies and it is through the body that history is experienced, made, and passed on.

Not a Day Goes By depicts the body in public spaces and the shame and disgust we attribute to its natural functions when they become visible outside of their acceptable sphere: the privacy of one’s own home. In the creation of the book, Levin turned to other artists for guidance and company. The disquieting and blunt drawings in the book make references to the work of Max Beckman, Chris Ofili, Philip Guston, Barbara Rossi, and George Condo. Trauma is deeply linked to isolation, to the feeling of aloneness when faced with an extreme situation, and through this conversation with artists who use vibrant color palettes and who are interested in telling complex stories through their work, I felt able to depict the psychological and physical reality of living with a chronic PTSD-related condition.

The book was also made to inspire debate on: health, wholesomeness, belonging, isolation, war, and inclusion.