A Book About Death, The Emily Harvey Foundation, New York, NY, USA

Here is my contribution to this collaborative project, A Book About Death

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH:
An Unbound Book on the Subject of Death

The Emily Harvey Foundation
537 Broadway, 2nd Floor
New York City, NY 10012

EXHIBITION: September 10 - 22, 2009
Curated by Matthew Rose

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – The Emily Harvey Foundation is pleased to present A Book About Death, a sprawling, collaborative unbound "book" on the subject of death at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in New York. The opening, on Thursday, September 10, 2009, one day shy of 9/11, brings together hundreds of artists in a global exhibition that honors the late artist Ray Johnson (1927-1995), whose own work inspired this exhibition; Emily Harvey (1941-2004); and the artists themselves, who have presented their unique visions of the subject through combinations of art, photography, and text.
Conceived and organized by Matthew Rose, a Paris-based American artist, A Book About Death is comprised of artists' postcards from original art created specifically for the exhibit. These pieces collectively form the pages of the "book." While many of the artists involved in the exhibition are internationally known – Yoko Ono, Eric Andersen, Peter Schuyff, Rodney Alan Greenblat – all of the artists share the stage equally. Each artist has contributed 500 postcards to the exhibit, and visitors to the gallery are encouraged to take "pages" away with them to create their own book about death. The exhibit is thus designed to "disappear" on its own schedule as people attend the exhibit.
"Ray Johnson is part of the history and spirit of The Emily Harvey Gallery, now The Emily Harvey Foundation," explains Christian Xatrec, EHF NYC director. "Taking the title from Ray Johnson, Matthew Rose's A Book About Death project refers to Ray’s groundbreaking-work in the ephemeral, expanded field of correspondence art. However, this show sets those key Johnsonian concepts on a new course, in sync with the evolving interests of the Emily Harvey Foundation program today. The developing mission of the Foundation, and Rose's show, refuse the notion of hierarchy and the buttressing of institutional framings."