Received: Stamp, collage, Fluxus mail art from Samuel Montalvetti (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

[De Villo Sloan]

September 20, 2010 - Samuel Montalvetti sent me a very full envelope of his mail art showing a wide range of areas he works in including collage, stamps, Fluxus, visual poetry as well as other mail art forms. Being new to some of the mail art practices commonly used by IUOMA members, I was very pleased to receive from Samuel several add-and-pass items. Pictured above is a piece of currency-art meant for this purpose, which I like because it has a relation to the lively Fluxus bucks projects. Below is a post-card size collage incorporating stamps, what I believe are cut-out magazine photos, and note Samuel has his own Fluxus stamp:

I think Samuel is just tremendous at synthesizing so many different areas into an integrated piece. I first learned about him and asked him to be my friend because I saw the visual poetry work in his IUOMA portfolio, which I found to be very remarkable and distinctive. Since that time I have seen his visual poetry videos here at IUOMA, which is yet another dimension of his work. His mail art appears on blogs around the world. What I see gives me deep respect for his abilities beyond that of being an accomplished visual poet who certainly has many important contributions to make to the ongoing global dialog. Here are more examples of the mail art he sent, which I really enjoy for the obvious sense of humor Samuel has in addition to his dedication to art:

Even in something whimsical you can see the integration of letters and images that are a trademark of his work and more pronounced elsewhere.

Variations on a theme.

I am very intrigued with Samuel Montalvetti's work and greatly appreciate receiving this mail art. I have always been interested in the postmodern literature of Latin America. Speaking you understand just for myself, I feel that the Latin American writers got postmodern fiction so much better than those in the U.S. For one, I am a great admirer of Manuel Puig and thus am so happy to have a friend in Argentina involved with visual poetry. So I believe I have much to learn from Samuel Montalvetti. I was very interested to learn - in connection with the upcoming mail art show at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, USA - that much of the innovation done there at mid-century in advancing concrete poetry was in fact due to the influence of poets in Brazil. Without a doubt that tradition has grown and flourished in Latin America. I hope through mail art visual poets everywhere can share ideas and work.

Samuel Montalvetti has a tremedous blog that features his work and the work of many other mail artists:

http://samuelmontalvetti.blogspot.com/