Based on a 2012 symposium on Perfection, held at the Whitechapel Gallery in East London, this book explores the ways in which artists engage with ideas of perfection, drawing on screenings, performances, and discussions. The symposium featured the work of an eclectic group of artists and writers, who use photographic lenses of many kinds to create works that engage with or disrupt ideas of perfection. Framed from an artist’s perspective and spanning a diverse range of artworks that question how these ideas shape our personal identities and our social and political systems, considers the multifaceted nature of lens-based practices.