Guy Laramée, “Encyclopedie Larousse” (detail), carved books, pigments, inks, and metal clip. All images courtesy of James Freeman Gallery
Books have beguiled us since they first emerged in the form of ancient scrolls and codices around the world. The way we access, utilize, and enjoy reading material has seen technological transformation over the centuries, from Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in the 15th century, to the first dictionary produced in 1532, to the advent of affordable pocket paperbacks in the early 20th century. Paper tomes have had an immeasurable impact on society and our ability to relay knowledge, and even in an age of digital e-readers, the physical volume still embodies an appeal as timeless as literature itself. In a new exhibition in London, the world of reading provides a starting point for the seven artists to explore a wide range of themes and materials, highlighting our perennial fascination with the printed and bound medium.
Cheri Smith, Russell Webb, Guy Laramée (previously), Aron Wiesenfeld, Guillermo Martin Bermejo, El Gato Chimney, and Claire Partington (previously) work across a wide range of styles including sculpture, illustration, painting, and printmaking. In Bookworks, Laramée’s deconstructed reference volumes are transformed into miniature topographical landscapes that challenge our sense of scale. Cheri Smith’s paintings, sometimes painted onto book covers, reference the eccentricity of animals and how they are categorized in natural history catalogues. El Gato Chimney constructs elaborate narrative illustrations in accordion-style publications that follow an eccentric band of characters as they confront giant creatures.
Bookworks is on view at James Freeman Gallery through June 4.
Guy Laramée, “Encyclopedie Larousse,” carved books, pigments, inks, and metal clip
Guy Laramée, “Encyclopedie Larousse,” carved books, pigments, inks, and metal clip
El Gato Chimney, “The Frog’s Apparition” (2021), watercolor and gouache on Moleskine notebook
El Gato Chimney, “The Frog’s Apparition” (2021), watercolor and gouache on Moleskine notebook
El Gato Chimney, “Crazy Wind” (2022), watercolor and gouache on Moleskine notebook
El Gato Chimney, “Kyu! Kyu!” (2022), watercolor and gouache on Moleskine notebook
Guy Laramée, “Petit Larousse Illustré” (2019), carved dictionary, pigments, inks, brass clip
Guy Laramée, “Petit Larousse Illustré” (2019), carved dictionary, pigments, inks, brass clip
Aron Wiesenfeld, “Readers” (2021), gouache on paper
Russell Webb, “Portrait of the Artist as an Author” (2022), oil paint and varnish on ply
Cheri Smith, “Sausage” (2020), oil on board
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