A few people had questions about my artist’s book, “No Mind”, soon on exhibition at The Beaney Museum in UK. I think it’s important to understand first what artists’ books are, so I’ll try to do that in this post.

Artists’ books are books made or conceived by artists. There are fine artists who make books and book artists who produce work exclusively in that medium, as well as illustrators, typographers, writers, poets, book binders, printers and many others who work collaboratively or alone to produce artists’ books. Many artists’ books are self-published, or are produced by small presses usually in limited editions.

Artists’ books that maintain the traditional structure of a book are often known as book art or bookworks, while those that reference the shape of a book are known as book objects. The artist’s book is by nature, and for the reasons just mentioned more likely to be non-traditional in format and structure. In fact, it is almost expected that artists deviate as far as they dare from the traditional form entering into the realm of sculpture.

Artists have been associated with the written word since illuminated manuscripts were developed in the medieval period. William Blake (1757 -1827) made some of the first artists’ books, among them The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Songs of Innocence. In these, Blake wrote the text, made the etchings of the text and illustrations, printed, and then hand-colored the pages. The only thing Blake did not do it seems was bind them. Blake was far ahead of his time. The artist’s book did not reappeared until this century and was adopted as a format by the Futurists, DADA, and the Constructivists among others.

Contemporary artists’ books are noteworthy for their many different forms, they can be made of text alone, images only, or both.

In my latest solo exhibition in Busan in 2015 I showed a few limited edition artists’ books made of etchings and woodcuts (photos below). In my next post I will talk specifically about my book “No Mind” and how it is relevant to the exhibition “Prescriptions” at the Beaney Museum (April 21st to August 14th, 2016).

If you’re interested in learning more about artists’ books, this Victoria & Albert Museum link has wide and fascinating information.

Today I got a letter inviting me to exhibit one of my artist’s books at The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, an art gallery, museum and library situated in the heart of the historic city of Canterbury, UK that opened in 1899. They also would like my piece as part of the collection of Artists’ Books and the Medical Humanities project (University of Kent).  I have, of course, accepted! The exhibition focuses on the book art of Martha Hall, on loan from the University of New England, and linked to a University of Kent symposium. Hall’s books document her experiences with breast cancer and interactions with the medical community. The exhibition is accompanied by a curated show of artists books responding to themes of illness, healing and well-being.

But what is an artist’s book? An artist’s book is a medium of artistic expression that uses the structure or function of “book” as inspiration—a work of art in book form. Here is my book:

“No Mind” artist’s book, 4, 5 meter long ink calligraphy script on Nepal paper mounted on handmade paper and antique sewing spool. Unique piece from a set of 3.

The New Beaney; Canterbury; Kent; Sidell Gibson Architects. Photo by Robert Greshoff

The museum was renovated in 2012 and photographer Greshoff shows astonishing shots in his website. If you are in town between April 21st and August 14th, 2016 please visit our exhibition at The Drawing Room at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge.

If you would like to know more about the museum, please visit their website.

Two of my woodcut prints are on display at the Museum of Ploiesti City, Romania: “Breastfeeding I and III”. The latest is now part of the museum’s collection.  Founded in 1931, the “Iosif Iser” International Contemporary Engraving Biennial Exhibition has enriched the museum’s patrimony since 1990 with hundreds of works illustrating all of the older and contemporary engraving techniques by artists from all the five continents. To see some of the art on this year’s XI Edition, please visit the museum’s website. More photos in their Muzeul Judeţean de Artă Prahova’s Facebook page

DOS DE MIS XILOGRAFIAS ESTA EN EXPOSICION EN EL MUSEO DE LA CIUDAD DE PLOIESTI EN RUMANIA: “LA LACTANCIA I Y III”. LA ULTIMA ES AHORA PARTE DE LA COLECCION DEL MUSEO, FUNDADO EN EL ANO 1931. LA BIENAL DE GRABADO CONTEMPORANEO “IOSIF ISER” HA ENRIQUECIDO EL PATRIMONIO DEL MUSEO DESDE LOS 90 CON CIENTOS DE OBRAS QUE REPRESENTAN TANTO TECNICAS TRADICIONALES COMO CONTEMPORANEAS, DE ARTISTA DE LOS 5 CONTINENTES. PARA VER FOTOS DE ALGUNAS DE LAS OBRAS EN EXPOSICION VISITE LA PAGINA DEL MUSEO.O VEA MAS FOTOS EN SU PAGINA FACEBOOK.

“Breastfeeding III”, part of the Museum’s collection

Breastfeeding I, on exhibition during this year’s Biennial

Jeroen van Paassen curated last year an exhibit in Peter and Paulus Church in Bergen, Holland during kunst10daagse (10 Days of Art). Then he met the owner of Amara Farm and the idea was born of converting his farm into an alternative space with art, music and poetry in cooperation with Fred Michiels from Belgium, the man behind Bozar de l’Abattoir, each one bringing their own artists. The difference? van Paassen says: “I have a preference for colorful and tight work with clear lines, say pop art. For Michiels it’s about expression, you can say: “Pop Art meets cobra ”’.  Van Paassen says they never work with a theme because it’s more important to have an element of surprise. They travel every two years in Europe so they had an exhbition in a wine castle in France, this year they will travel to Belgium (Bozar de l’Abattoir) and next year they will go to Copenhagen and Southern Germany.

Although I show my work in international galleries and ocasionally in museums I value and enjoy working with alternative spaces. It was in the 1970s in America and in 1980’s in Europe when an explosion of alternative galleries, art spaces, and collectives took place. Populating store fronts, lofts, and warehouses, these spaces confronted the supposed neutrality of the commercial gallery’s “white cube” by promoting work that was politically engaged, experimental, and more concerned with artistic discourse than commercial viability. For more photos of our exhibit at Amara Hoeve Farm please visit my Facebook page.

                     My woodcut at Amara Farm: TAKE ME OUT OF THE BOX, 2015

                                                  Display at Amara Hoeve Farm 

THE ARTIST IN THE BOX, woodcut, 2015 on display at Amara Hoeve Farm

The Kunst10daagse (10 Days of Art) has become an extensive arts and crafts manifestation in the grand manner. Artists exhibit indoor and outdoor in their studios, gardens, restaurants and galleries. My pieces will be at Amara Hoeve Farm which will host poetry, music and art from international and local artists under the Curatorial and conceptual genius of Jeroen van Paassen and Fred Michiels. Visitors are guided through the city with a brochure at this time of the year when Bergen has a special aureole. In 2015 the show runs Oct.16th-25th in Bergen, Holland and from Dec.11th in Sambreville, Belgium. For more info. visit their website. Also I will post photos of the exhibition in my Facebook page.

My woodcut prints framed in Ecuadorian balsa wood, 2015.