The artist's book as an aberrant object. (1st September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morrison, Ella
• Is Part Of: Journal of art writing by students. Volume 5:Number 2(2019)
• Page Start: 153
• Page End: 164
• Publication Date: 2019-09-01
• Subjects: Arts -- Research -- Periodicals; Art in universities and colleges -- Periodicals; Arts -- Periodicals; Academic writing -- Periodicals; Graduate work -- Periodicals; 707
• DOI: 10.1386/jaws_00005_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2055-2823

Abstract

This article presents the artist's book as an aberrant object. Using the work of Czech-born Australian artist Petr Herel (1943–present) as a case study, it draws upon interdisciplinary theories from art history, anthropology and socio-cultural studies to examine the interpretation, collection and display of the aberrant artist's book. The attribution of aberrance to the artist's book is not a pejorative, but a positive term that casts new light on why the artist's book sits so uncomfortably in art historical discourse and institutional practices as a 'high load' object. Rather than limiting analysis, examining aberrance generates room for subjective analysis that embraces the experiential qualities of tactility and temporality that jar with conventional art histories.