Joan Liftin's third monograph, Water for Tears, is a lyrical memoir. The book is about family and trips, about running away and coming back, short texts and photographs about pleasure in the newness of everyday life. There are layered images from everywhere, like the blind woman feeling her way by a timeworn splattered wall in Mexico or the teenage boys posing with a head of Reagan in the Soviet Union in 1988, while the darkest ones are from the American South's brutality during the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. Her observations are mysterious, sensuous and often very funny. At the heart of the book is a tender farewell to her life with Charlie, photographer Charles Harbutt.
Joan Liftin
Joan Liftin has worked as a photographer, photo book editor and teacher for many years. She is the author of three photo books Drive-Ins (2004), Marseille (2015) and Water For Tears (2018). Liftin was Chair of the Documentary Program at the International Center of Photography (from l988 to 2000) and the Director of Magnum Photos library.