i fell in love, i fell out of love, 100$, potato chips, airplanes, clouds & sky
an exhibition of the work of Michalis Pichler
on view from Saturday, January 21 through Saturday, February 4, 2006
opening reception and book launch: Saturday, January 21 from 5 to 7 PM
Printed Matter Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibition of the work of German artist Michalis Pichler this Saturday, January 21 from 5 to 7 PM. i fell in love, i fell out of love, 100$, potato chips, airplanes, clouds & sky, the name of the exhibition, is also the title of an ephemeral newspaper piece published on the occasion of the exhibition and designed to be given away at Printed Matter. At the opening reception we will also celebrate the launch of two books by Pichler, both published in 2005 by Revolver: "WAR"diary and New York Garbage Flag Profile. Printed Matter is located at 195 Tenth Avenue at 22nd Street.
Both "WAR"diary and New York Garbage Flag Profile originated during Pichler''s residency in New York as a DAAD Arts Fellow in 2003. Taking up themes and formal strategies introduced in his powerful newspaper piece from 2002, New York Times Flag Profile, the books investigate the phenomenon of patriotism in post 9-11 New York.
In "WAR"diary headlines from the Daily News are collaged onto the stockpages of the New York Times, creating subtle ghosts of words like OUTRAGE! BAGHDAD, and CAUGHT on top of or cut into endless columns of numbers. New York Garbage Flag Profile documents mass-produced materials like paper cups and plastic bags emblazoned with American Flags that the artist found discarded in public spaces in New York. Photographs of the objects are accompanied by transcriptions of the texts printed right onto them; Pichler refers to these transcriptions as poetry.
Though he is traditionally trained in architecture and sculpture and often involved in labor-intensive work processes, Pichler''s practice seems less concerned with artistic disciplines and more concerned with individual digestion of and response to cultural conundrums. Using public space as both source material and stage for his projects, he deploys the Situationist strategies of derive and détournement that position him as something of an urban trickster.
"WAR"diary, and New York Garbage Flag Profile, both published by Revolver, Frankfurt, are priced at $12, and $30 respectively and are available at Printed Matter and through our website www.printedmatter.org. i fell in love, i fell out of love…is available in the store for free.
For additional information, please contact Rachel Bers, Programming and Website Coordinator at (212) 925-0325 or at rbers@printedmatter.org.
Printed Matter, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1976 by artists and art workers with the mission to foster the appreciation, dissemination, and understanding of artists'' books and other artists'' publications.
Printed Matter, Inc. has received support, in part, through grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Altria Group, Inc, the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Canadian Consulate General and the Government of Canada, The Cowles Charitable Trust, the CRH Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the Fifth Floor Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, LEF Foundation, Materials for the Arts, The Peter S. Reed Foundation, the Schoenstadt Family Foundation, The Starry Night Fund, The Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and private foundations and individuals worldwide.