Taryn Simon

A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I – XVIII was produced over a four-year period (2008-11), during which the artist, Taryn Simon, travelled around the world researching and recording bloodlines and their related stories. The subjects Simon documents include victims of genocide in Bosnia, test rabbits infected with a lethal disease in Australia, the first woman to hijack an aircraft, and the living dead in India. Her collection is at once cohesive and arbitrary, mapping the relationships among chance, blood, and other components of fate.

Each work in A Living Man Declared Dead is comprised of three segments. On the left of each chapter are one or more large portrait panels systematically ordering a number of individuals directly related by blood. The sequence of portraits is structured to include the living ascendants and descendants of a single individual. The portraits are followed by a central text panel in which the artist constructs narratives and collects details. On the right are Simon's 'footnote images' representing fragmented pieces of the established narratives and providing photographic evidence.

The empty portraits represent living members of a bloodline who could not be photographed. The reasons for these absences are included in the text panels and include imprisonment, military service, dengue fever and women not granted permission to be photographed for religious and social reasons.

Simon's presentation explores the struggle to determine codes and patterns embedded in the narratives she documents, making them recognizable as variations (versions, renderings, adaptations) of archetypal episodes from the present, past, and future. In contrast to the methodical ordering of a bloodline, the central elements of the stories – violence, resilience, corruption, and survival – disorient the highly structured appearance of the work. A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters highlights the space between text and image, absence and presence, and order and disorder.

Chapter I, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter I, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter I, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

9. Yadav, Babloo, ~11/12 (birth date unknown). Student. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

10. Yadav, Mukesh, ~10/11 (birth date unknown). Student. Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

d. Corpse of a person with leprosy floating in the Ganges River. The dead are cremated on the banks of the river or tied to heavy stones and sunk in the water. Dhanaiy Yadav, Shivdutt Yadav's father, was cremated along the banks and his ashes were scattered in the river. Ganges River, Varanasi.

b. Letter to the chief judicial magistrate of Azamgarh demanding official recognition that Shivdutt, Chandrabhan, Phoolchand, and Ram Surat Yadav are living and maintain legal title to their land. The letter also requests that legal action be taken against all officers and family members who filed false information. Family file, Azamgarh.

Excerpt from Chapter I, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

12. Yadav, Dabloo, ~11 (birth date unknown). Student. Jalandhar, Punjab, India. [Emergency/70 homes destroyed in village fire, including grandmother's]

14. Yadav, Amrita, ~2 (birth date unknown). Mahaji Banjaria, Uttar Pradesh, India. [Emergency/70 homes destroyed in village fire, including grandmother's]

21. Yadav, Urmila, ~24 (birth date unknown). Homemaker. Masuriapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. [Participation not permitted for religious and social reasons]

22. Yadav, Amit, ~4 (birth date unknown). Student. Masuriapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. [Participation not permitted for religious and social reasons]

23. Yadav, Santra, ~21 (birth date unknown). Homemaker. Nahroompur, Uttar Pradesh, India. [Participation not permitted for religious and social reasons]

Chapter II, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter II, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Annotation Panel, Chapter I, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

1. Hacohen, Shulamite, 12 Jan. 1939. High school teacher/librarian. Kfar Saba, Israel.

a. Advertisement for The Pyramid of the Jewish National Home." Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem.

c. Independence Hall, the site of the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence in 1948. Independence Hall, Tel Aviv.

h. Palestine Police Curfew Pass issued to Arthur Ruppin, 1936. Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem.

Excerpt from Chapter II, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

d. Report for a possible Jewish settlement in British East Africa for the Zionist Organization,1905. Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem. e. Population density map of the Uganda Protectorate for the Zionist Commission, 1902. Records show that Arthur Ruppin found Uganda's climate unsuitable for Jewish settlement. Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem. f. Map of the Guas Ngishu Plateau in British East Africa for the Zionist Commission, 1905. Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem.

Excerpt from Chapter III, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

1. Ondijo, Joseph Nyamwanda Jura, 1928 (exact birth date unknown). Herbal healer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
2. Oyugi, Jane Adhiambo, 20 Dec. 1962. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
3. Oyugi, Florence Atieno, 19 Nov. 1985. Second hand clothing vendor. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
4. Oyugi, Jacinta M. Achieng, 24 Sept. 1988. Farmer. Osiri, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
5. Oyugi, Edith Anyango Okello, 21 June 1992. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
6. Oyugi, Maryline Awuor, 05 June 1994. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
7. Oyugi, Yvonne Bether Amondi, 04 Jan. 1997. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
8. Oyugi, Dickens Kennedy Okello, 24 Feb. 1998. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
9. Oyugi, Millicent Adhiambo, 24 Nov. 2000. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
10. Amollo, Achieng Mornica, 01 Aug. 1968. Mat maker. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
25. Odhiambo, Modestar Awuor, 15 Aug. 2007. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
26. Odindo, Millicent Atieno, 20 Dec. 1973. Homemaker. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
27. Odindo, Victor Ouma, 17 Oct. 1993. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
28. Odindo, Pauline Akinyi, 03 May 1995. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
29. Odindo, Lavender Anyango, 14 May 1996. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
30. Odindo, Sharon Awuor, 16 Aug. 1997. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
31. Odindo, Molly Atieno, 20 June 2001. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
32. Odindo, Felix Otieno, 16 May 2004. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
33. Odindo, Congestine Achieng, 08 Aug. 2006. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
34. Odindo, Roseline Awino, 15 July 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
49. Nyamwanda, George Ouma, 22 Nov. 1977. Livestock dealer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
50. Ouma, Florence Awuor, 11 Sept. 1999. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
51. Ouma, Jacqueline Atieno, 07 Sept. 2001. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
52. Ouma, Collins Otieno, 19 Oct. 2003. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
53. Ouma, Macrine Achieng, 15 Feb. 2005. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
54. Ouma, Emmanual Odhiambo, 24 Aug. 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
55. Paul, Risper Awino, 28 Dec. 1980. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
56. Paul, Stephen Otieno, 04 Apr. 1998. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
57. Paul, Seth Okoth, 02 Mar. 2000. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
58. Paul, Emily Akinyi, 08 Dec. 2002. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
73. Audi, Clinton Okwaro, 14 July 2005. Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya.
74. Audi, Bracy Amondi, 16 Sept. 2007. Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya.
75. Nyamwanda, Thomas Omondi, 22 Nov. 1985. Carpenter. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
76. Odhiambo, Philister Akinyi, 15 May 1986. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
77. Odhiambo, Shadon Paul, 10 Feb. 2009. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
78. Olilo, Everlyne Adhiambo, 19 Sept. 1987. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
79. Olilo, Edwin Nyamwanda, 23 May 2006. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
80. Olilo, Philister Odek Mitto, 16 Jan. 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
81. Nyamwanda, Mary Atieno, 07 Mar. 1989. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
82. Nyamwanda, Lameck Odhiambo, 07 May 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
89. (Name unknown). [Location unknown]
90. Nyamwanda, Goretty Adhiambo, 04 Nov. 1994. Homemaker. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
91. Onyango, Herman Junior, 28 Aug. 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
92. Nyamwanda, Kevin Omondi, 01 Dec. 1995. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
93. Nyamwanda, Quinter Auma, 18 Feb. 1996. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
94. Nyamwanda, Nancy Awuor, 20 Apr. 1996. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
95. Nyamwanda, Peter Jura, 03 Oct. 1998. [Location unknown]
96. Nyamwanda, Hillary Odhiambo, 08 Mar. 1999. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
97. Nyamwanda, Benter Akinyi, 08 Aug. 1999. Student. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
98. Nyamwanda, Linet Awuor, 18 May 2001. [Location unknown]

Excerpt from Chapter III, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

c. Photographs of Celtel GSM mobile communications towers. Joseph Nyamwanda Jura Ondijo's land was selected by Celtel to host a tower, for which the company pays him significant royalties. The location of the tower is viewed by some village residents as evidence of Ondijo's power. Company image and family file, Kisumu.
81. Nyamwanda, Mary Atieno, 07 Mar. 1989. Farmer. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.
82. Nyamwanda, Lameck Odhiambo, 07 May 2008. Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya.

Chapter III, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter III, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter VI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

VI, B
15. No. 337, 28 Mar. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
16. No. 338, 28 Mar. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.

Excerpt from Chapter VI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

17. No. 339, 28 Mar. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
18. No. 340, 26 Apr. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
19. No. 341, 26 Apr. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
20. No. 342, 26 Apr. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
21. No. 343, 26 Apr. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
22. No. 344, 26 Apr. 2009. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.

1. No. 1624, (birth date unknown). Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
2. No. 167, 23 May 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
3. No. 168, 23 May 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
4. No. 169, 01 Aug. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
5. No. 170, 01 Aug. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
6. No. 171, 01 Aug. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
7. No. 172, 01 Aug. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
8. No. 151, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
9. No. 152, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
10. No. 153, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
11. No. 154, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
12. No. 155, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
13. No. 156, 01 Sept. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
14. No. 184, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
15. No. 185, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
16. No. 186, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
17. No. 187, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
18. No. 188, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
19. No. 190, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
20. No. 197, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
21. No. 198, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
22. No. 199, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
23. No. 200, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.
24. No. 320, 29 Oct. 2008. Inglewood, Queensland, Australia.

Excerpt from Chapter VI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

a. Haigh's chocolate Easter Bilby replaced Haigh's Easter Bunny in 1993. Haigh's stopped making chocolate bunnies and joined forces with the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia in an effort to counter the annual celebration of rabbits. Product of Haigh's Chocolates, Adelaide.

b. Rabbits killed with .22 Magnum rifles by NatureCall, an organization hired to eliminate rabbits from private properties. Dead rabbits are laid out to record data, including sex, age, pregnancy, and active virus status. Cattle-grazing property west of Kingaroy, Queensland.

Chapter VI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter VI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter VII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

1. Nukic, Nezir, 1928 (exact birth date unknown). Forester and road builder. Zivinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2. Mehic, Zumra, 09 Dec. 1950. Homemaker. Kladanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

3. Mehic, Bajazit, 16 Sept. 1972 - 11 July 1995. Mortal remains, International Commission on Missing Persons, Podrinje Identification Project. Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4. Mehic, Ahmedin, 16 Feb. 1974 - 12 July 1995. Tooth sample used for DNA matching, International Commission on Missing Persons. Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery, Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Excerpt from Chapter VII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

b. Graffiti in the Potocari battery factory used as a barracks by Dutch UN soldiers and Bosnian Serb soldiers after the fall of the Srebrenica enclave. Potocari battery factory, Srebrenica.

Excerpt from Chapter VII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

a. Personal effects discovered in a mass grave. Podrinje Identification Project, Tuzla.

d. Video footage introduced at former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic's trial, revealing a Serbian paramilitary unit's involvement in the Srebrenica massacre. It depicts an Orthodox priest blessing members of the "Scorpions" unit, who are subsequently shown lining up six young Bosnian Muslim men along a dirt road. The young men are later shot in the back in a grassy area beside the road. Undisclosed source, Sarajevo.

Chapter VII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter VII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter IX, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

b. Painting of Leila Khaled by a Palestinian artist who replicated the widely disseminated photograph of Khaled taken before her plastic surgery. Khaled home, Amman.

d. View of Haifa, the former home of Leila Khaled and her family. Khaled claims she forced the pilot of TWA flight 840 to fly over the city during her hijacking. Haifa.

Chapter IX, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter IX, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter XI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

c. Official Adolf Hitler postage stamp and Hans Frank imitation stamp. The Hitler stamp was printed in 1941 for the second anniversary of the founding of the Generalgouvernement and was in circulation until the end of the Second World War. A replica of the Hitler stamp, with Frank's image, was produced by British intelligence and released in Poland to provoke friction between Frank and Hitler. Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc., New York.

e. Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, taken by German troops from the Czartoryski collection during the Second World War. It hung in the Wawel apartment of Hans Frank and was later brought to his family home, Schoberhof. After Frank's arrest, the painting was returned to the Czartoryski Museum, where it now hangs across from the empty frame for Raphael's missing Portrait of a Youth. Czartoryski Museum, Krakow.

f. Rembrandt's Landscape with the Good Samaritan, taken by German troops from the Czartoryski collection during the Second World War. One of only eight oil landscapes painted by the artist, it was returned to the Czartoryski Museum upon Frank's arrest. Czartoryski Museum, Krakow.

7. Frank, Norman, 06 Mar. 1928. Bavarian television facilities director (retired). Schliersee, Germany.

8. MJK, 24 May 1958. (Information withheld). [Sent clothing as representation]

Excerpt from Chapter IX, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

15. (Information withheld).

Excerpt from Chapter XI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

1. (Information withheld). [Declined participation]
2. (Information withheld). [Declined participation]
3. (Information withheld). [Declined participation]
5. (Information withheld). [Parent declined participation/child not old enough to decide for herself]
14. Sommerfeld, Maximilian, 31 Mar. 2002. Student. Gross-Umstadt, Germany.
[Parent declined participation/child not old enough to decide for herself]
16. (Information withheld). [Parent declined participation]
17. (Information withheld). [Parent declined participation]
18. (Information withheld). [Parent declined participation]
19. (Information withheld). [Parent declined participation]

Chapter XI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter XI, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter XV, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

b. Gift bag from the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Product of the SCIO, Beijing.

a. China Central Television Tower, selected by the State Council Information Office to be photographed for this work. Beijing.

Excerpt from Chapter XV, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

1. Su, Qijian, 19 Nov. 1926. Administrator (retired), Ministry of Railways. Beijing, China.
17. Zhang, Jing, 27 July 1975. Homemaker. Qingdao, China.
18. Ma, Yucheng, 06 Sept. 2009. Qingdao, China.
19. Zhang, Qun, 27 Mar. 1979. Advertising designer, Beijing Gotwin Culture Communicate Limit Company. Beijing, China.

Chapter XV, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter IV, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

Excerpt from Chapter XVII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

5. (Name withheld), 16 Mar. 1993. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
18. (Name withheld), 25 Nov. 1993. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
19. (Name withheld), 17 Jan. 1994. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

Excerpt from Chapter XVII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

66. (Name withheld), ~13 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
67. (Name withheld), ~13 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
68. (Name withheld), 06 Jan. 1997. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
69. (Name withheld), 09 Jan. 1997. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
70. (Name withheld), 11 Jan. 1997. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
71. (Name withheld), 11 Jan. 1997. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
90. (Name withheld), 17 June 1998. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
91. (Name withheld), 04 Sept. 1998. Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
92. (Name withheld), ~11 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
93. (Name withheld), ~11 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
94. (Name withheld), ~11 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
95. (Name withheld), ~11 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
114. (Name withheld), ~9 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
115. (Name withheld), ~9 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
116. (Name withheld), ~8 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
117. (Name withheld), ~8 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
118. (Name withheld), ~7 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.
119. (Name withheld), ~6 (birth date unknown). Student. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

Excerpt from Chapter XVII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

a. History classroom at the orphanage with framed inscription above the blackboard. Translated from Ukrainian, it reads: "Those who do not know their past are not worthy of their future…" Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

d. Wooden figure of a stork delivering a child, made by one of the children at the orphanage. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

b. Boys' bedroom at the orphanage. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

c. Girls' bedroom at the orphanage. Undisclosed location, Ukraine.

Chapter XVII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII.

Annotation Panel, Chapter XVII, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII

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