Off the Shelf: New Forms in Contemporary Artists’ Books

Over the course of the last ten years artists have expanded the terrain of the artist’s book, taking the format to new limits. Artists such as Jonathan Callan, Paul Noble, and Brian Belott manipulate found books to invent new objects that have been transformed by the artists’ hands and imaginations. Beatriz Milhazes, Francesca Gabbiani, and Russell Crotty craft new books that illustrate texts that they find meaningful, from poems and songs to the artists’ own musings. Simon Evans’ framed works are harvested directly from his sketchbooks and show evidence of his obsessive process that involves scotch tape, correction fluid, and numerous layers of words and images.

This catalogue includes work by thirteen international artists working today who create books alongside their other output including painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. The artists’ books included here represent a diverse range of expression, yet they share a remarkable consideration for the craft of making an art object in the form of a book, with a focus on craftsmanship and attention to detail. Many of the books incorporate layered collage or hand-drawn, hand-painted, or hand-cut pages, resulting in unique objects and very small editions. Books by the following artists are included: Brian Belott, Jonathan Callan, Russell Crotty, Miriam Dym, Simon Evans, Francesca Gabbiani, Carlos Garaicoa, David Hammons, Beatriz Milhazes, Takashi Murakami, Paul Noble, Monique van Genderen, and Martin Wilner. his fully illustrated publication includes a curatorial essay by Mary-Kay Lombino, a checklist of the works in the exhibition, and two newly commissioned poems. The poems, written by Michael Joyce and Joshua Beckman, are inspired by the topic of the book as an art object.