Is mail art dying out? - International Union of Mail-Artists2024-03-29T05:11:45Zhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/forum/topics/is-mail-art-dying-out?xg_source=activity&id=2496677%3ATopic%3A2587454&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Margaret
I have an "add +…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-09-12:2496677:Comment:28266432023-09-12T13:18:39.896ZDeeDee Maguirehttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeeDeeMaguire
<p>Hi Margaret </p>
<p>I have an "add + pass" sitting here ready to stamp + <span>m</span>ail! </p>
<p>While you posted this a few years ago--I'm happy to send along to you!</p>
<p>best</p>
<p>DeeDee</p>
<p>Hi Margaret </p>
<p>I have an "add + pass" sitting here ready to stamp + <span>m</span>ail! </p>
<p>While you posted this a few years ago--I'm happy to send along to you!</p>
<p>best</p>
<p>DeeDee</p> Yuri Gik presented artifacts…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-30:2496677:Comment:28246632023-08-30T21:59:34.280ZIlya Semenenko-Basinhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/IlyaSemenenkoBasin
<p><span>Yuri Gik</span> presented artifacts from his extensive archive. He received these art pieces earlier, before the terrible events of the last year and a half.</p>
<p><span>Yuri Gik</span> presented artifacts from his extensive archive. He received these art pieces earlier, before the terrible events of the last year and a half.</p> The Mail Art Exhibition in Mo…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-30:2496677:Comment:28244942023-08-30T20:33:57.380ZCarlton Monoxidehttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/CarltonMonoxide
The Mail Art Exhibition in Moscow probably didn't get much participation because a lot of countries can't send mail to Russia at the moment.
The Mail Art Exhibition in Moscow probably didn't get much participation because a lot of countries can't send mail to Russia at the moment. Following Ruud’s comment, I c…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-30:2496677:Comment:28247562023-08-30T15:51:37.050ZTheo Nelsonhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/TheoNelson
<p>Following Ruud’s comment, I concur. Mailart is doing quite well. Add & Passes are a special breed of mailart. I like them but hopefully the ones I receive are fairly new. That will usually give me some freedom to add that works with what is there. From there, I will decide: “return to sender, address is known” or I will pass them on to someone I know that likes A & Ps. </p>
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<p>A & Ps that have been in the network for years and are likely copies of copies are more…</p>
<p>Following Ruud’s comment, I concur. Mailart is doing quite well. Add & Passes are a special breed of mailart. I like them but hopefully the ones I receive are fairly new. That will usually give me some freedom to add that works with what is there. From there, I will decide: “return to sender, address is known” or I will pass them on to someone I know that likes A & Ps. </p>
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<p>A & Ps that have been in the network for years and are likely copies of copies are more difficult. I always brand them “Zombie” A & Ps and I will just treat them as starters. Very often, one cannot even determine who the started the A & P.</p> Greetings to Yuri Gik, he cam…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-27:2496677:Comment:28232252023-08-27T05:58:35.840ZKaterina Nikoltsou (MomKat)https://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/KaterinaNikoltsou
<p>Greetings to Yuri Gik, he came a couple of times to Athens in 2019 BC (Before Covid):</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12212555259?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12212555259?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300"></img></a></p>
<p>Wish that I could send mail art to you and Yuri, but mail to Russia was returned, not able to post from the European Union, I guess. But luckily we have the internet, and that is also why we can see documentation for mail art projects and exhibits "online"!…</p>
<p>Greetings to Yuri Gik, he came a couple of times to Athens in 2019 BC (Before Covid):</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12212555259?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12212555259?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Wish that I could send mail art to you and Yuri, but mail to Russia was returned, not able to post from the European Union, I guess. But luckily we have the internet, and that is also why we can see documentation for mail art projects and exhibits "online"! It saves a lot of printing costs, and paper from cutting down trees. But things have changed over the years for mail art, some I think are very positive. The present increase in postage is a negative, however, it is a reason that I will be cutting back on mailing overseas. Still, as Ruud says, even ONE mail art out in the network means that mail art is alive and well! </p> I'll add a few more words to…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-26:2496677:Comment:28236742023-08-26T22:57:48.392ZIlya Semenenko-Basinhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/IlyaSemenenkoBasin
<p>I'll add a few more words to what I said a few days ago. I was prompted to return to this discussion by the Mail Art exhibition in Moscow, which I attended on 17 August. The curator of the exhibition (this curator is Yuri Gik) wrote about the sad (from his point of view) state of Mail Art and listed the signs of decline. We disagree with the statement about decline, but he is right about one thing - postal art shows have begun to do without catalogues/booklets for all participants. I have…</p>
<p>I'll add a few more words to what I said a few days ago. I was prompted to return to this discussion by the Mail Art exhibition in Moscow, which I attended on 17 August. The curator of the exhibition (this curator is Yuri Gik) wrote about the sad (from his point of view) state of Mail Art and listed the signs of decline. We disagree with the statement about decline, but he is right about one thing - postal art shows have begun to do without catalogues/booklets for all participants. I have sent my collages many times to a wide variety of exhibitions in different countries and very rarely received documentation of participation. In a few cases they were luxurious, expensive catalogues with illustrations. Sometimes the author is sent a piece of paper thanking him for his participation. Very often the author does not receive any documentation at all! Take a look at the calls that are posted on this portal. As a rule, curators initially do not promise any catalogue/booklet for authors, no documents. For example:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suburbia Open Call</p>
<p><a href="https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/suburbia-open-call?xg_source=activity">https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/suburbia-open-call?xg_source=activity</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Queen or King</p>
<p><a href="https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/queen-or-king">https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/queen-or-king</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Mosaic</p>
<p><a href="https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/call-mail-art">https://iuoma-network.ning.com/events/call-mail-art</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And so on, and so on, and so on. It must be recognised that the rules of Mail Art have changed over forty years at least as far as documentation for the participating author is concerned. Is this a decline? I don't think so. Is this the new normal? </p> I can’t help but think that t…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-21:2496677:Comment:28217002023-08-21T03:21:21.516ZAdam Roussopouloshttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/AdamRoussopoulos
<p>I can’t help but think that the perception of mailart dying out is determined by the persistence of the mailartist themselves. The amount of mail artists out there doing crazy amazing things seems to be almost infinite. Many of which are not associated are linked it IOUMA in any way. But they can be found easily via instagram, Facebook, etc. I do believe the pandemic likely brought new blood into the game, but either way it seems to be thriving. Artistamp creators in particular are…</p>
<p>I can’t help but think that the perception of mailart dying out is determined by the persistence of the mailartist themselves. The amount of mail artists out there doing crazy amazing things seems to be almost infinite. Many of which are not associated are linked it IOUMA in any way. But they can be found easily via instagram, Facebook, etc. I do believe the pandemic likely brought new blood into the game, but either way it seems to be thriving. Artistamp creators in particular are presenting themselves everywhere I look, pushing the boundaries and making making incredible things. Mailart shows seem to be happening regularly, and calls for art via assembly zines seems to be popping up everywhere. Whether it is Mazima Strange, Nicola Winborn, Tictac, Bibiana and SA Griffin doing WOW NOW or the amazing long-standing calls of RF Cote, Ryosuke Cohen’s Braincell and Devid Dellafiora’s KART, Wipe, or Fieldstudy. I do think the cost of postage increasing with be a future issue for mailart. It likely already plays a factor in how active people are in the network. Obviousness some are more active than others but in general the energy, excitement and eagerness to be involved is palpable.</p> Love the add and pass. tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-20:2496677:Comment:28216952023-08-20T17:21:01.029ZDenice Newtonhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeniceNewton
<p>Love the add and pass. </p>
<p>Love the add and pass. </p> I have had an add and ass ret…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-20:2496677:Comment:28215842023-08-20T17:18:59.400ZDenice Newtonhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeniceNewton
<p>I have had an add and ass returned. Addressee unknown. Is there anyone interested? Please let me know. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I have had an add and ass returned. Addressee unknown. Is there anyone interested? Please let me know. Thanks in advance!</p> Here, in the "Forum / Mail-Ar…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2023-08-18:2496677:Comment:28212642023-08-18T21:56:30.275ZIlya Semenenko-Basinhttps://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/IlyaSemenenkoBasin
<p>Here, in the "Forum / Mail-Art Discussions" section, there are two or three discussion branches, to which it is interesting for me to return, rereading the ideas expressed. It keeps me going. Different f<span>olks</span> look at reality so differently that it gives a great a feeling of the incompleteness of one's being, and the incompleteness of art, and the incompleteness of hope. "<span>We are some kind of hope....." </span></p>
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<p><span>Very nice comment by Juan Petry just…</span></p>
<p>Here, in the "Forum / Mail-Art Discussions" section, there are two or three discussion branches, to which it is interesting for me to return, rereading the ideas expressed. It keeps me going. Different f<span>olks</span> look at reality so differently that it gives a great a feeling of the incompleteness of one's being, and the incompleteness of art, and the incompleteness of hope. "<span>We are some kind of hope....." </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>Very nice comment by Juan Petry just written.</span></p>
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<p><span>Probably the curator of the exhibition I wrote about yesterday is wrong when he reduces all Mail Art to group projects (well structured), project calls, and participation documentation. As soon as these exhibitions with clear membership, prestige and documentation fell, it already seems to him that the "end of the world" has come. Yes, it is true that exhibitions with the same provision and with the same prestige as in the eighties, today, perhaps, are not held, although I may not know much. At the same time, you can, in principle, look at your place in mail art and at the meaning of art in a different way. In fact, I am quite satisfied with an individual exchange without subsequent publication in any catalogs. Fortunately, I can sometimes send my collage to collective projects, although I do not know about the fate of my collages (has anyone seen them in a distant country?).</span></p>
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