In the summer of 2013, Raymond Pettibon took over one of David Zwirnerās gallery spaces in New York, transforming the high-ceilinged, garage-like white cube into his studio in order to prepare a show of drawings and collages withināand sometimes directly onāits walls. Titled To Wit, evoking the Middle English expression that has come to express a certain formality today and is defined as ānamely,ā or āthat is to say,ā the exhibition gave new meaning to the term āsite specific,ā featuring vibrant, gestural works Pettibon created in conversation with his surroundings that operated as a sort of archive, both product and record of his relationship to that space and time. Unified by their bold, vivid lines and unconventional framing, they feature allusions to a wide spectrum of American āhighā and ālowā culture, from violence, humor, and sex to literature, youth, art history, and sportsāembodying the artistās signature mix of social and political commentary, diary entry, and automatic drawing. This publication, presenting large color plates of the works created over that summer by Pettibon, who also produced an original drawing for its sturdy cardboard cover, explores the intricate relationship between image and language that has long fascinated the artist. Just as the works in the exhibition existed at once as art and document, so too does the book itself have the hefty, physical presence of a work of art. Extensive installation views capture the dynamic combination of visual imagery and text that has come to characterize Pettibonās practice, and a selection of gritty black-and-white photographs by Andreas Laszlo Konrath offers an intimate glimpse into the artistās working process. Context is provided by Lucas Zwirner, who accompanied the artist throughout this period and contributed the bookās essay, āA Month with Raymond.ā As Zwirner describes it, the show functioned āas an essayistic whole held together by imaginative leaps and subtle connections which Raymond has left unexplained and uninterpreted.ā That perspective is rounded out in an interview with the artist by Kim Gordon, a visual artist and musician, who first encountered Pettibonās work in the early 1980s in Los Angeles.
This book title, Raymond Pettibon: To Wit, ISBN: 9780989980944, by Raymond Pettibon, published by David Zwirner Books (April 30, 2014) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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