Coincidences and Convergences, the concrete legacy among the artist books of Dieter Roth, Neide de SĂĄ and Julio Plaza. By Rita MourĂŁo Barbosa
This research begins when I first met by person some books of Dieter Roth at the New York Art Book Fair of 2017 , where I was showing with DesapĂŞ a table of concrete poetry books .
Later those books came to exhibited in my city, SĂŁo Paulo, by the same bookseller, Zucker Art Books, based in New York.
In this second time that I saw the Zucker's collection of Dieter Roth artist books I wondered if two of other artists that did very similar books where in touch with him.
One of them was Neide de Sรก, a protagonist of the Process Poem in Brazil
She did loose-leaf pages , hand cut books, displayed in a box, where you could change the position of the sheets to create new compositions.
Even if the colors and geometric shapes used were more diversificated and very different from the ones used in Dieter Roth hand cut books, we can see a loose-leaf pages clear similarity in their process
Neide de Sรก used two colors in this book where the pages are divided in four pieces and you can turn just some slices of them to create a larger number of compositions.
In this work of Julio Plaza that uses the same formal structure that was in his book Signspaces ,1967-69, created when he was in an artist residence in Puerto Rico.
Those geometrical structures reproduced in two colors, black and white, were created under the influence od the concrete form disseminated all over the world in the fifties.
Other structures inspired by the concrete form were created by Plaza In 1966 and also reproduced in an artist book called “Hexacubos� published in 1975 inside a box, Caixa Preta (Black Box) that contained 26 printed elements and a vinil record done in partnership with the concrete poet Augusto de Campos..
Another work done with Augusto de Campos was the “Objetos�, 1969, an artist book that contained different pop-ups cardboards , using just the three primary colors . Later, in 1974, Plaza did another work with Augusto de Campos, called Poemobiles using pop-up cardboards
For sure Max Bill influenced the work and art perception of those three artists, and it’s a privilege to have the Tripartite Unity in Brazil, acquired by the Museu de Arte Contemporânea of São Paulo University after winning the international sculpture prize at the first São Paulo Bienal in 1951, The infinite structure of the Möbius strip inspire many other artists here in Brazil, like Lygia Clark, who among others was interest in giving a less representative and more conceptual status to art.
I subscribed my project in the CoincidĂŞncia Program, held by Pro Helvetia Latin America Cultural Exchange and my intention was to develop it while I was in Switzerland to take part at the I Never Read Art Book Fair in Basel.
The project was approved and I was invited to present it in the local radiostation of the fair.
Some of the books that I showed in the fair were all connected with the concrete and neoconcrete art movement in Brazil
But we also mede a tribute to Marcel Duchamp, the artist that is a reference for conceptual art, and in my collection was represented by a fantastic box created in 1968 by Octavio Paz and Vicente Rojo under this approval.
Some seminal artist books, objects, catalogs and books of Julio Plaza, Neide de Sรก and concrete artists were on the table.
We also presented a very special selection of artist books done by latinamerican artists like Clemente Padin and Guillermo Desirer.
We received a very expressive number of visitors, among artists, collectors, curators, like Daniel Kurjaković from the KunstMuseum of Basel.
When the fair was over in the 16th of June we were tired, like the publisher Bia Bittencourt, but I was anxious to start the research of the books of Dieter Roth in galleries that were in Art Basel and also in libraries and museums in Zurich and Bern.
The first library visited was the one of the Kunstmuseum in Basel.
Where I found those two catalogues raisonees of the complete work of the Dieter Roth
All his artist books were reproduced there, and it got surprised by the huge production developed during his whole life (1930-1998)
The second visit was at the Kunsthalle also in Basel, that is very close to the Tinguely Fountain, a iconic art work of the city done by Roth’s friend.
I was attended in the library of Kunsthalle by Regina Vater, a librarian that was also in charge of the Daros Latinamerican Library, that received me with enthusiasm .
She showed me their very highlights books and magazines, as Axis and Minotaurs and Der Ararat
And again we had an edition to homage the Marcel Duchamp’s Museum in a Box.
There I had the possibility to find more than 60 books of and about Dieter Roth!
Children’s book (kinderbuch). 28 pages, four colour letterpress, geometric shapes with handcut and diecut holes (1954-1957). Reedition by Hansjorg Mayerear: 1976. Edition: 1000
Edition done in 1976 of the book that was originally bound with a spring clip binder and contains diecut colour acetate sheets. Pubblisher: Hansjorg Mayer
Book 8: Cardboard slipcase, 23,6 x 23,2 x 2 cms., containing 2 volumes, stiff wrappers, loose sheets in white, black, red and blue with cut-outs in various shapes. Reconstruction of 2 variants (A and B) of the portfolios published 1958-1961. Edition Hansjรถrg Mayer, 1976
Edition of the Book 4, printed originally in 1961. Pubblisher: Hansjorg Mayer, 1972
Vol. 07 "Bok 3b und bok 3d", open, unnumbered pages, 23 x 17 cm, 1974
The third library visited was the specialized on graphic works and prints in the KunstMuseum in Basel.
Some of the books repubblished by Hansjorg Mayer, during 1969-1991. In the middle "Copley Buch" - box, 23 x 17 x 4 cm, 1974. Enlarged versionf the original published by Copley Foundation, Chicago, 1965. Cardboard box, 23 x 17 x 4 cm. Containing loose sheets, various sizes.I
In 1960 Roth won the William and Noma Copley Award, in recognition of his book projects, and used the prize money to produce a new artist’s book. Over the next several years he worked via correspondence, sending the project piecemeal from Iceland to Richard Hamilton, a longtime friend and collaborator, who oversaw its production in London. Copley Book is about the process of making a book.
In its pages are an accumulation of Roth’s doodles and notes to himself; instructions on printing, production, scale and mirrored and symmetrical images
There we also find and a copy of a letter from the printer, who apologizes for having misplaced two pages intended for the volume. He reissued the project in 1974 as part of his Collected Works series.
The Calder sculpture in the Courtyard of the Kunstmuseum in Basel in an example of it’s wonderful art collection
An art work of Calder exhibited in a gallery during the ArtBasel Art Fair,
An original book 8 exhibited at Zucker booth during the ArtBasel Art Fair.
A similar geometrical work gathered in a book of Neide de Sรก done between the seventies and the eighties. Private collection.
A similar work of Neide de Sรก gathered in a book done between the seventies and the eighties. Private collection.
The Schaulager Museum was the opened in 2003 with a solo exhibition of Dieter Roth.
The Schaulager keeps a reconstruction of the Dieter Roth’s Selbstturm; Löwenturm (Self tower; Lion tower) 1969–1998 , which, however, is exposed to continuous decay and disintegration as he used chocolate and sugar in those works
Schaulager also has in its library a large number od Dieter Roth sound poems and works, and this is an edition/LP box by Edition Periferia, 2015.
The Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich has a library open to the public where you can consult their books by yourself/
During my visit there was a solo show of Ithe german artist Imi Knoebel.,
There were some books about Dieter Roth available for consultation.
In this one I found this amazing portrait that reminds me Lygia Clark playing with her works done in Stainless steel
In this book also from the Haus Konstruktif collection there is a chapter dedicated to the Noigandres group of poets , formed by Augusto and Haroldo de Campos and DĂŠcio Pignatari.
The three poets wrote the Noigandres manifesto, Pilot Program for Concrete Poetry in 1958.
Fritz Glarner's “Rockefeller Dining Room” is a permanent installation of the Haus Konstructiv and it’s possible to book a dinner there!
The next visit was the National Swiss Library in Bern
The director Susanne Bieri is very proud of their artist book collection and she guided me in their colection showing me some highlights
Like this original artist book The Lake of Tears (Der Tränensee). 1973
During my visit in Bern the Kunsthalle in Basel was showing a very important retrospective of the exhitions curated by Harald Szeeman: Museum of Obsessions, that I was very happy to see.
Back in Zurich Regina Vogel received me and a Pro Helvetia team member and a chilean artist to show the Latinamerica Daros Library
There we also met the collector Christoph Schifferli
Later Christoph Schifferli showed me his collection
And I showed him some Brazilian artist books that interesti him
I took to the fair could
There I was glad to meet new artist books in his collection
In those days the Helmhaus in Zurich was presenting The Most Beautiful Swiss
And it was possible to see all the books that took part of the competition
In the same building there was a bookshop where I saw some books of Dieter Roth to sell and the seller saw the books that I had with me of Neide de Sรก and Julio Plaza, and agree with the convergences in their works
And near there, in another bookshop, the owner showed me this wonderful copy of Spirale magazine, published by Dieter Roth and Eugen Gomringer during 1953-1964:Many of Dieter Roth’s early “concrete” books were first made in the years when he was an editor for Spirale.
In one of the windows of this bookishop I saw the magazine Cahiers d’art, with the cover of Marcel Duchamp Coeur Volant. The contrast between the blue and the red reminded us the Dieter Roth book 8.
In the last days of the research trip in Zurich I found the walk-in "Pavilion Sculpture" done by Max Bill in 1983 . I though about Helio Oiticica and what a new entrance it could open‌
I remembered that days before starting the journey to Switzerland I was in Montevideo and Clemente Padin was performing with the books just l”aunched all over his body” as they were one…
‌ ready to enter in the fluxes of coincidences, convergences and meetings.