The Sun Placed in the Abyss brings together the work of more than 45 artists who, since 1970, have used the sun as a subject to explore the historical, social and technological conditions of photography, both still and moving. Borrowing its title from a poem by Francis Ponge, The Sun Placed in the Abyss tracks how the sun has been used as a metaphor from Conceptual art to the Pictures Generation to current practices.

The diverse, intergenerational list of artists featured speaks to the enduring interest in our closest star: works by Sarah Charlesworth, Anne Collier, Tacita Dean, Jan Dibbets, John Divola, Shannon Ebner, Dan Graham, Zoe Leonard, Sol LeWitt, Catherine Opie, Trevor Paglen, Richard Prince, Walid Raad and many more are included in this dynamic publication, published to accompany an exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art.