Vispo Cut-Up by Juan Lopez de Ael (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pas Vasco, Spain)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by Juan Lopez de Ael (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Pais Vasco, Spain)

July 29, 2015 - In the last year, I have become familiar with visual poetry by Juan Lopez de Ael and admire it very much. He is, in my estimation, a master of the cut-up. So I am absolutely thrilled to have received this postcard-size piece, which is an original composition, not a copy. Like many visual poets and text-centered artists, Juan Lopez de Ael is an active participant in the Eternal Network.

In the work of Juan Lopez, I see an affinity to William S. Burroughs’ cut-ups and thus earlier DaDa prototypes. But Juan Lopez de Ael also departs from Burroughs significantly. The work of Juan Lopez is less linear and more dependent on the concept of defamiliarization. I see strong affinities to concrete poetry and those poets who focus on the materiality of language. Juan Lopez uses much material that comes from the mass media, and his work can be viewed as an interrogation of this public discourse and its visual manipulations (fonts in particular).

One should not overlook the recombinant and transformative nature of visual poetry by Juan Lopez de Ael. These literal deconstructions result in explorations of alternative syntax, the non-linear and the creation of whole new symbols. The result is more than base distortion. In the context of the current interest in asemic writing, the work of Juan Lopez de Ael deserves consideration.

Deepest thanks to Juan Lopez de Ael for being so thoughtful and sending an original work!