Gent; Imschoot, Uitgevers; 1992; 14,8 x 21cm; 176p. Artist book in a hardcover luxury edition of 50 copies, copy 46/50 signed and numbered by the artist, blind stamped with the 'ex-libris Joseph Kosuth 1992', and with picture glued onto cover. As new.
Arts, Photography, Conceptual Art, Artist Book, Avant-Garde
This book project by Joseph Kosuth is concerned with the politics of architectural ‘renewal’ and cultural erasure. The book is poised between two points. On the one hand, as a shadow background, are the collected letters and memoirs of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s friend and architectural collaborator, Paul Engelmann, and on the other, are the super-imposed images of the on-going destruction of Ghent, an historic city being methodically destroyed by real-estate speculation. Ref.1
Shadow background is provided by the collected letters of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s friend and collaborator, Paul Engelmann, upon which hand-tipped photographs tell of the ongoing destruction of Ghent, Belgium. Ref.2
- Joseph Kosuth (born January 31, 1945) is an American conceptual artist, lives in New York and London, after having resided in various cities in Europe, including Ghent and Rome. One of the wave of conceptual artists to emerge in the late 1960s, he frequently uses language or texts in his works, including definitions. Ref.3
- Imschoot Uitgevers In 1987 publishing house Imschoot (Ghent- Belgium) started an exceptional series of artists’ books made by international artists ( Giovanni Anselmo, Sol LeWitt, John Baldessari, Lawrence Weiner, Hanne Darboven, Robert Barry, Christian Boltanski, Dan Graham, a.o.). Ref.4
In addition to the regular softcover edition (500 to 1000 copies), a deluxe hardcover edition was also issued in a very limited edition, numbered and signed by the artists.
The publishing house ceased its activities in 2006.