An exhibition at the Gagosian and a book published by MIT Press shows Ed Ruscha’s influence on contemporary artists, photographers and even writers who engaged his work in a stimulating aesthetic dialogue.
The exhibition is presented chronologically, with Ruscha’s various publications displayed with those of his followers, ironically beginning with a letter from the Library of Congress rejecting his Twenty six Gasoline Stations, which is now arguably his most famous work: This alone is the subject of two dozen reinterpretations.
Some books are on display in the gallery windows, while most are simply suspended at eye-level, inviting visitors to browse thru them to establish their own connections between the original works and the ones they inspired. The number of books is impressive. An inventory published by MIT Press lists ninety-one. Some are obvious in their references to Ruscha: in variations of a title, like how Stan Douglas’ Every Building on 100 West Hasting echoes None of the Buildings on Sunset Strip; in the their narratives, like Simon Morris’ The Royal Road to the Unconscious compared with Ruscha’s The Royal Road Test; but also in their form, design, subject matter, typological approach, their exploration of a single symbolic image, their cinematic appearance, and their experimentation with new tools.
Overall, this joint exhibition and publication offers an optimistic vision of contemporary photography. The printed object remains essential to the culmination of a photographic work, and Ruscha’s approach confirms self-publishing as a viable alternative. The process was rare in the 1960s and 70s, and it is interesting to see how it has developed over the last decade, the period during which most of the books inspired by Ruscha were made.
Laurence Cornet
Read the full article on the French version of Le Journal.
Book
Various Small Books, Ed Ruscha
Edited by Jeff Brouws, Wendy Burton and Hermann Zschiegner
MIT Press
288 pages
39,95 dollars
Exhibition
“Ed Ruscha, Books & Co.”
Until April 27th, 2013
Gagosian Gallery
980 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10075
USA
Tél. : +1 212 744 2313
