NYU Libraries Downtown Collection presents
"Panmodern!"
An Exhibition of the Mark Bloch/Postal Art Network
Opening: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
New York University's Bobst Library, 5:30-8pm
2nd floor
"Panmodern!"
The Mark Bloch/Postal Art Network Archive
Part of the Fales Library- Downtown Collection
New York University
Exhibition on view September 17 to December 13, 2024
Location: Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South, Floor 2
New York City
Contact Mark Bloch, panman@panmodern.com
On view in NYU’s Special Collections Center, second floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, September 17-December 13, 2024
New York University Libraries present Panmodern! The Mark Bloch / Postal Art Network Archive, an exhibition of artifacts from the Mark Bloch/Postal Art Network Archive exploring analog networks of communication, the distribution of art through international postal systems, and mail art as a precursor to present-day social networking. The exhibition will showcase examples of original mail art sent to Mark Bloch in New York City from all over the world in the form of objects, envelopes, publications, and postcards documenting avant-garde cultural activities from 1978-2024.
The show, curated by Bloch, will examine the decentralized, non-hierarchical and often misunderstood or mischaracterized nature of mail art, also known as “correspondence art” and “postal art.” Mail art developed out of Ray Johnson’s New York Correspondence School in the 1950s and became a global movement organized around sending small scale works through the postal system. The movement emphasized connection with other artists and egalitarian ideals that allowed artists to circumvent official art distribution and approval systems—such as art markets, museums, and galleries.
This exhibition will provide a provocative overview of the international mail art network, which has thrived below the radar of the traditional art world and the general public with its own rules and aesthetics since the mid-1950s, and continues today in the era of social media. The mail art scene has been cited as an important precursor to social media; Mark Bloch was an early convert from postal-centric to online communities, spearheading experiments in online art discussion groups and text-based teleconferencing systems.
An American mail artist whose practice is entrenched in long distance communication, Bloch is a prominent figure in the mail art scene. Since 1980, he has published Panmag, a zine documenting the New York mail art scene, and has written extensively on Fluxus—an international avant-garde collective of artists and composers founded in the 1960s—performance, communication, conceptual art, mail art, and contemporary art, including many early texts on Ray Johnson.
“It is a thrill to finally get to share this stuff with the world. I now find myself to be the caretaker of a beautiful archive of people’s heartfelt expressions. This archive tells the story of lesser-known people who are following in strong, important international art traditions, like Dada and Surrealism, and who never stopped the experimentation that was important in the first half of the twentieth century,” said Bloch.
Bloch has organized the show around ten focal points which allow visitors to explore the overarching narrative of the mail art movement through the lens of Bloch’s personal collection and history and the work of individual artists. These narrative themes include: mail art’s connection to broader communication media; Bloch’s globally-distributed artwork; the more obscure objects people mailed that pushed the boundaries of the postal service; the various tools employed by artists (such as collages, zines, and artist books); the relationship between mail art and broader artistic movements; a seminal moment in the 80s where key artists collided and re-conceptualized the mail art movement; the sub-movement of Neoism which emphasized confusion and ambiguity as the cure for societal isolation and alienation; the differences between mail art practices in different countries; and the progression from physical networks to digital communities.
Exhibition opening is September 17, 2024 from 6pm-8pm. To attend the opening, register on Eventbrite. Public programming will be announced at a later date.
Panmodern! The Mark Bloch / Postal Art Network Archive is on display in the NYU Special Collections Center, Second Floor, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Place) from September 17, 2024. [Subways A,C,E, B,D,M to West 4th Street; 6 line to Astor Place; R train to 8th Street.].
The exhibition is free and open to the public. To gain access to the exhibition, members of the public should email special.collections@nyu.edu at least one business day in advance of their visit.
In vista nel centro di collezioni speciali della NYU, secondo piano della biblioteca Elmer Holmes Bobst, 17 settembre-13 dicembre 2024
Le biblioteche della New York University presentano Panmodern! The Mark Bloch / Postal Art Network Archive, una mostra di manufatti provenienti dal Mark Bloch/ Postal Art Network Archive che esplorano le reti analogiche di comunicazione, la distribuzione dell'arte attraverso i sistemi postali internazionali e l'arte postale come precursore del presentegiorno di social networking. La mostra presenterà esempi di arte postale originale inviata a Mark Bloch a New York da tutto il mondo sotto forma di oggetti, buste, pubblicazioni e cartoline che documentano attività culturali d'avanguardia dal 1978 al 2024.
La mostra, curata da Bloch, esaminerà la natura decentralizzata, non gerarchica e spesso incompresa o male caratterizzata della mail art, nota anche come "corrispondenza art" e "arte postale." La mail art si è sviluppata a partire dalla New York Correspondence School di Ray Johnson negli anni '50 e si è trasformata in un movimento globale organizzato intorno all'invio di opere su piccola scala attraverso il sistema postale. Il movimento ha sottolineato la connessione con altri artisti e gli ideali egualitari che hanno permesso agli artisti di aggirare i sistemi ufficiali di distribuzione e approvazione dell'arte, come i mercati dell'arte, musei e gallerie.
Questa mostra offrirà una panoramica provocatoria della rete internazionale di mail art, che ha prosperato sotto il radar del mondo dell'arte tradizionale e del pubblico in generale con le sue regole ed estetica dalla metà degli anni '50, e continua oggi nell'era dei social media. La scena mail art è stata citata come un importante precursore dei social media; Mark Bloch è stato uno dei primi convertiti dalle comunità postali a quelle online, guidando esperimenti in gruppi di discussione sull'arte online e sistemi di teleconferenza basati su testo.
Artista americano di mail, la cui pratica è radicata nella comunicazione a lunga distanza, Bloch è una figura di spicco nel panorama della mail art.
Bloch ha organizzato la mostra attorno a dieci punti focali che permettono ai visitatori di esplorare la narrativa generale del movimento mail art attraverso la lente della collezione personale e della storia di Bloch e il lavoro dei singoli artisti. Questi temi narrativi includono: il collegamento della mail art con i mezzi di comunicazione più ampi; l'opera d'arte di Bloch distribuita a livello globale; gli oggetti più oscuri che le persone spediscono che spingono i confini del servizio postale; i vari strumenti impiegati dagli artisti (come collage, zines e libri d'artista); il rapporto tra mail art e movimenti artistici più ampi; un momento fondamentale negli anni '80 in cui artisti chiave si scontrarono e riconcettualizzarono il movimento della mail art; il movimento del Neoismo che ha enfatizzato la confusione e l'ambiguità come cura per l'isolamento e l'alienazione della società; le differenze tra le pratiche di mail art nei diversi paesi; e la progressione dalle reti fisiche alle comunità digitali.Apertura della mostra è settembre 17, 2024 da 18:00-20:00. Per partecipare all'inaugurazione, iscriviti su Eventbrite. La programmazione pubblica sarà annunciata in un secondo momento. Panmodern! L'Archivio di Mark Bloch/ Postal Art Network è in mostra al Centro delle collezioni speciali della NYU, secondo piano, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South (a LaGuardia Place) dal 17 settembre 2024. [Metro A, C, E, B, D, M a West 4th Street; 6 linea per Astor Place; treno R per 8th Street. ].
La mostra è gratuita e aperta al pubblico. Per accedere alla mostra, i membri del pubblico devono inviare un'e-mail a special.collections@nyu.edu almeno un giorno lavorativo prima della loro visita.
Press release
https://guides.nyu.edu/blog/NYU-Libraries-Exhibition-Explores-Mail-...
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