Anna Fox. Cockroach Diary (1996-99)

The Hyman Collection includes the complete exhibition presentation of this extraordinary series, as large exhibition prints, accompanied by texts from Fox's diary.

The darkly humorous Cockroach Diary (1996-1999) documents an infestation of cockroaches at Anna Fox's North London home (41 Hewitt Rd) where she lived with her children, partner and a number of lodgers. First published in 1999 by Shoreditch Biennale, it tells a wicked tale of how an invasion of cockroaches affected the people who lived there. The work combines a series of colour photographs with a handwritten diary that she kept until the cockroaches eventually left.

A melodramatic tale tells more about the dysfunctional relationship between the house sharers than the cockroaches themselves. This project marked the start of Fox's exploration of autobiographical story-telling and her questioning of the power of the camera in documentary practice.

Published by Shoreditch Biennale 2000.
ISBN:0-9533199-2-x

VIDEO OF ANNA FOX DISCUSSING THE SERIES