MOCA
The Museum of Contemporary Art
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213/621-1749
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elizabeth Hinckley
Tel 310/854-8199
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Lyn Winter
Tel 213/633-5390
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008
MOCA PRESENTS UNIQUE EXHIBITION OF ARTISTS' BOOKS
First Museum Survey of Artists' Books in Los Angeles Since 1978
Includes Online and Interactive Components
To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book
October 18, 2008-March 1, 2009
MOCA Pacific Design Center
West Hollywood, CA-The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA),
presents To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book, the first large-scale
museum survey of artists' books in Los Angeles since 1978. Organized by
MOCA Librarian Lynda Bunting and MOCA Director of Publications Lisa
Gabrielle Mark, To Illustrate and Multiply highlights a diverse range of
conceptual strategies and formal processes, exploring how the ordering
of visual, textual, and material information- into book form affects
meaning. More than 100 artists are represented by over 130 works, which
are drawn from MOCA's permanent and library collections as well as
several public and private local collections. To Illustrate and Multiply
is on view at MOCA Pacific Design Center from October 19, 2008 through
March 1, 2009.
"Since the 1960s, making books has been a significant part of
contemporary art practice," said MOCA Director Jeremy Strick. "Artists
such as Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, Douglas Huebler, and Al Ruppersberg,
among many others, have created beautiful and iconic works in book form.
In addition to being the first major museum show of artists' books in
Los Angeles in 30 years, To Illustrate and Multiply features an
interactive reading lounge and a distinctive web site where viewers can
access information about the show and watch videos of selected books set
in motion. These unique components help to bring the medium to life for
viewers."
Borrowing its title from an undated, limited-edition 'zine by Raymond
Pettibon, To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book presents many
different book forms, from spiral-bound and accordion-fold books to
photographic portfolios and boxed books of loose pages. The exhibition
includes work dating from 1965 to the present by both established
artists who view bookmaking as an integral part of their artistic
practice and emerging artists who have begun to experiment with this
media.
Contemporary artists' books-as opposed to the classic livres d'artiste,
which refers to traditional, limited-edition books illustrated with
original prints by well-known artists-began to emerge in the 1960s.
Early examples were often associated with conceptual art and Fluxus,
both of which sought to challenge institutional hierarchies and present
art in new ways. Artists' books, easily disseminated and often made with
inexpensive and/or unconventional materials, posed a stark contrast to
the unique, high-priced artworks typically prized by museums.
At the show's core are a number of important early examples of the
genre, including Ray Johnson's Paper Snake (1965) and Dieter Roth's
Kinderbuch (1957/1976). In addition, To Illustrate and Multiply
showcases well-known works such as Tom Phillip's A Humument: A Novel
After W. H. Mallock (1970), Edward Ruscha's Every Building on the Sunset
Strip (1966), and Michael Snow's Cover to Cover (1975), alongside the
work of a new generation that is revitalizing the practice of making
artists' books, including Darren Bader, Luca Buvoli, Douglas Gordon,
David Horovitz, Brendan Lott, and Euan Macdonald, among others. Evoking
the dynamic community that surrounds the creation and reception of the
genre, some books were produced by artists who also serve as publishers
and distributors of other artists' books, including Jan Voss of Boekie
Woekie in Amsterdam and Brian Kennon of 2nd Cannons Publications in Los
Angeles.
Some works, such as Adam Janes's drawing pad for living room (2008),
were created specially for this exhibition. This dramatic piece consists
of a 20-foot scroll drawing mounted on two six-foot tall cylinders. The
drawing can be turned via two large wheels that resemble helms. Also
featured in the exhibition are book works by artists who are well known
for their work in other media-such as Fischli and Weiss, Rodney Graham,
Ann Hamilton, Rebecca Horn, Harmony Korine, Barbara Kruger, Robert
Morris, Olafur Eliasson, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, and Jim Shaw.
To Illustrate and Multiply features an interactive reading lounge where
viewers are invited to physically engage with a number of the works in
the exhibition. These include books by Fernando Bryce, Matthew Chambers,
Hans-Peter Feldmann, Allen Ruppersberg, and Raymond Pettibon. To further
expand the content of the exhibition, a special web site has been
developed at moca.org/openbook. Launching on October 17, the web site
will include Quicktime videos that allow viewers to experience selected
works from the exhibition; an audio conversation between award-winning
book designer Lorraine Wild and 2nd Cannons Publications founder Brian
Kennon, moderated by the exhibition curators; installation images;
essays by the curators; a checklist of the exhibition; and an extensive
bibliography.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Art Talks
These informal discussions of current exhibitions feature artists,
curators, critics, writers, and other arts professionals. Unless
otherwise noted, talks take place in the exhibition galleries,
attendance is free with museum admission, and reservations are not
required.
INFO 213/621-1745 or [log in to unmask]
SUNDAY, OCT 19, 3pm-MOCA Pacific Design Center
Lynda Bunting, MOCA librarian and exhibition co-curator, leads an
opening day walkthrough of To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book.
FREE
SUNDAY, NOV 9, 3pm-MOCA Pacific Design Center
Lisa Gabrielle Mark, MOCA director of publications and exhibition
co-curator, discusses To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book.
FREE
Art Talks are made possible by The Times Mirror Foundation Endowment,
Good Works Foundation, and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of
Los Angeles.
Book Making Workshop
SATURDAY, JAN 10, 10am-4pm
MOCA Pacific Design Center
Books are a rich and tactile means of collecting art and information,
and the choices made in assembling books can fortify their content. In
conjunction with the exhibition To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open
Book, learn how to construct, and deconstruct, basic book forms as a
tool to manipulate narrative and sequence in text and imagery. Following
a tour of the exhibition, this hands-on workshop will provide an
overview of the methods and tools of book construction and printing, as
well as experience with a variety of folds, bindings, papers, and
printing techniques.
Instructor: Elinor Nissley works as a project designer at Bestor
Architecture, but prefers never to be too far from a press. She is a
printmaker and book designer for Cloverfield Press and also makes work
under her own imprint, Krank Press.
Advance registration required; no refunds
INFO 213/621-1745 or [log in to unmask]
$100 MOCA members; $125 nonmembers
# # #
MOCA-Celebrating 30 Years as the Nation's Leading Contemporary Art
Museum
Founded in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has
achieved astonishing growth in its brief history-with three Los Angeles
locations of architectural renown; more than 20,000 members; a permanent
collection of nearly 6,000 works international in scope and among the
finest in the nation; hallmark education programs that are widely
emulated; award-winning publications that present original scholarship;
and groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of
international repute that survey the art of our time. MOCA's mission is
to be the defining museum of contemporary art. MOCA is a private
not-for-profit institution supported by its members, corporate and
foundation support, government grants, and admission revenues. MOCA
Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA are open 11am to 5pm on
Monday and Friday; 11am to 8pm on Thursday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and
Sunday; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission is $10
for adults; $5 for students with I.D. and seniors (65+); and free for
MOCA members, children under 12, and everyone on Thursdays from 5pm to
8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. MOCA Pacific Design Center is open 11am to
5pm Tuesday through Friday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and
closed on Monday. Admission to MOCA Pacific Design Center is always
free. For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education
programs, and special events, call 213/626-6222 or access MOCA online at
moca.org.
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