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New Typographics: Typewriter Art as Print

New Typographics: Typewriter Art as Print features work by artists who use the typewriter as a matrix for forming text into image. Typically referred to as typewriter “art” or typewriter “drawings,” this exhibition posits that artworks created with a typewriter should be recognized as prints, in light of the mechanism and process of their production.

Early examples of typewriter prints date to the late 1800s, when the typewriter became commercially produced and publicly accessible. Typewriter prints flourished in avant-garde sound experiments at the turn of the 20th century as well as in global movements in concrete poetry, mail art and conceptual art after World War II. In the United States at mid-century, the typewriter was a staple of daily life, used in offices and homes alike. Artists today are turning to the typewriter as a tool and an inspiration.

"I use the typewriter against itself. It was built to draft first chapters of novels and resignation letters; I use it to draw my son’s eyelashes and knitted socks . . . . I really enjoy that this process allows me to focus on those very simple forms and moments that are, perhaps, usually overlooked." --Lenka Clayton

"I began writing with a typewriter, a tool that could keep up with my thoughts. However, I employed no rules of the written language: no capitalization, no punctuation, no paragraphs. The writing slowly transformed – the words left the page and what remained has become my language." --Allyson Strafella

Curator’s Talk
Thursday, May 2, 6pm
Ksenia Nouril will give a talk on the history of typewriter prints, highlighting key moments and artists that were influential to the thinking around the exhibition New Typographics: Typewriter Art as Print.

Please visit the 'External Link' below for more information.
Relevant research areas: North America, Contemporary, Letterpress
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