It is always with us: our shadow. But when it comes to art, what role does this constant companion play? Richly illustrated and vividly narrated, this publication reveals the wide range of approaches and levels of meaning that shadow has in contemporary painting and photography, and in video art and installations.

Symbol of death and emblem of the uncanny, metaphor for beings that exist at the fringes – the shadow is a multifaceted – and frequently political – presence in contemporary art. Through outstanding images, this volume portrays the emancipation of shadow as an autonomous element in contemporary art while offering astonishing discoveries in relation to classical artworks. In this expansive survey, the shadow itself steps out of the shadows, revealing itself as a unique element of artistic style.

Artists: Vito Acconci, Christian Boltanski, David Claerbout, Marlene Dumas, Olafur Eliasson, Hans-peter Feldmann, Vadim Fishkin, Lee Friedlander, Ralph Gibson, Jenna Gribbon, Janice Guy, Nadia Kaabi-linke, William Kentridge, E.l. Kirchner, Jürgen Klauke, Astrid Klein, Farideh Lashai, Zilla Leutenegger, Johanna Von Monkiewitsch, Edvard Munch, Claudio Parmiggiani, Gerhard Richter, Thomas Ruff, Regina Silveira, Javier Téllez, Kara Walker, Jeff Wall, Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Et Al.