Mark Mothersbaugh
Apotropaic Beatnik Graffiti Book
Blank Industries
OUT NOW
ROSIE BOYD // PUBLICIST
One of this era's most unique and prolific conceptual artists and composers, Mark Mothersbaugh, is releasing his new book, APOTROPAIC BEATNIK GRAFFITI. A collection of neo-dada stream of conscious visual poetry, the book represents one human's observations of life on a sliding planet.
Mark reflects on his new work and how his inspiration from Beat-style stream-of-conscious expression evolved: "When I was a single digit-aged human back in the 1950s, I remember seeing human wreckage sprawled on the sidewalks of downtown Akron. My mom would hold my hand and try to hurry me past a mumbling, shouting man as I was entranced trying to decipher the meaning of what he was saying. I felt like he might know something the rest of us didn't and he was trying to share it. Because of my early-age eyesight impairments, I knew there were things happening all around us that vision kept us from seeing. Maybe there were things we weren't hearing as well. Later on, I drew comparisons of these raw emotional forms of expression to the work of beats, free form jazz, and artists like Captain Beefheart, all of which heavily influenced DEVO's curiosity in pushing the boundaries of what was considered normal."
Mark elaborates on the lifelong project that APOTROPAIC BEATNIK GRAFFITI has been drawn from and the "user experience": "I have been doing art images and poetry on postcards and postcard size formats since 1969 when I first learned about "mail art", and began corresponding with artists around the world. Somewhere a few years later I began keeping these cards, and every time I had 100 new ones, I would buy another red archival book and save them in it. All these years later, I now have close to 700 red books collected, and this APOTROPAIC BEATNIK GRAFFITI represents 5 of those books from this collection. These images were all created in the last ten years, and have been the source of lyrics and concepts for larger pieces, both two and three dimensional".
"This book is not typical in its layout or content. Once you get into the imagery, it is not strictly linear, at all... it is meant to be shuffled through, working your way back'n'forth as elements catch your eye. Feel free to mark up the pages, and/or tear out and post a protective page above the entranceway to your home, or the bumper of your car! Three visionaries I have respected through the years graciously agreed to write forwards, each interesting in its own way. A handy placemark ribbon is included to assist you in returning to where you left off last time you were there".
Released by Blank Industries in association with Mutmuz Publishing, APOTROPAIC BEATNIK GRAFFITI features a bespoke black die cut "distressed leather" hardcover book with embossed, spot varnished 3D eye relief plaque, debossed gold foil stamped lettering and gold gilded edge 115gsm matte art paper. A beauty for anyone's coffee table or collection. A work of art, inside and out!
ABOUT MARK MOTHERSBAUGH:
Mark Mothersbaugh is one of this era's most unique and prolific conceptual artists and composers. Deeply aware of the ability of precise, multi-faceted artistic expression to deliver vital social commentary, he has perpetually challenged and redefined musical and visual boundaries. Mothersbaugh co-founded the influential rock group DEVO and parlayed his avant-garde musical background into a leading role in scoring for filmed and animated entertainment, interactive media, and commercials.
Mark has scored 150 films, television shows, video games, and hundreds of commercials through his multimedia company, Mutate Muzika. He has had 165 visual and audio art shows, including his retrospective traveling museum exhibition Myopia.
He has received a doctorate in Humane Letters at Kent State University, his alma mater.