2019

Joe Scanlan, Set I (wall), 2019
oil paint, reclaimed wood, archival inkjet on paper, polyvinyl acetate, wood
168 x 112 x 15 cm

Joe Scanlan, Artisanal Complex I, 2019
archival inkjet on paper mounted on gessoed linen, vinyl wallpaper
300 x 360 x 5 cm
Joe Scanlan, Palermo, 2018
digital font derived from the basic forms in Blinky Palermo’s Blau Scheibe und Stab (1968), archival inkjet on various Epson photo papers with sample pack interleaving, storage box
edition of 26
Joe Scanlan, Palermo, 2018
digital font derived from the basic forms in Blinky Palermo’s Blau Scheibe und Stab (1968), archival inkjet on various Epson photo papers with sample pack interleaving, storage box
edition of 26

Donelle Woolford, The Raw and the Cooked, 2016
exotic inlay wood box containing 1907, a book authored by the fictional artist Donelle Woolford and printed in Marrakesh, interleaved with recipes handwritten by the people who printed the book in Marrakesh
20.5 x 15 x 3.8 cm
edition of 35
16 Mar — 26 Apr 2019
opening Saturday 16 March 5-9 pm
ARTISANAL COMPLEX

Joe Scanlan (Ohio, 1961) works in the tradition of conceptual art and is interested in processes of transformation: making something from nothing, or transforming something of a perceived value into something of a different value. He continually pushes the limits of meanings—mostly from different cultural and/or social backgrounds—allowing everyday products to be a work of art sometimes but not always, using leftover material from his studio and reinvigorating it. His work stems from a need to find new meaning in labor.

Five years ago, co-curator Karima Boudou Mzouar invited Scanlan to participate in the 5th Marrakesh Biennale. In email exchanges under the French title "complex artisanale" they discussed the location for an art installation that would take place in a building complex in Marrakesh. A literal translation of the title into English changed the meaning of the title, which intrigued Scanlan. Where the French title identifies a space in which crafts take place, the English “artisanal complex” denotes a psychological mental condition related to craftsmanship.

For this fifth exhibition in the gallery, Scanlan explores the confusion between these terms. On the one hand is the place, the shop where his products can be purchased, while on the other we are witness to the artist’s ‘artisan complex’: the irrepressible urge to be ingenious, to make things, to produce them to the highest possible standard, and offer them for sale.

This exhibition contains paintings with decorative patterns, stretchers, book bags made from Van Laack shirts, a new digital font “Palermo” designed from the elements of Blinky Palermo's “Blaue Scheibe und Stab” (1968) and a publication / tourist shop item based on cubist reliefs by Scanlan’s fictional artist Donelle Woolford, merchandise that was originally intended for the 5th Marrakesh Biennale.