Written by Meg Hitchcock, Curator of “CONTEXT: Art, Books, and Freedom”

In “CONTEXT: Art, Books, and Freedom,” an ongoing exhibition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML), artist and curator Meg Hitchcock brings together 15 artists whose work incorporates books and text. The artists diverge in their approach and content, from social commentary to political statement to literary allusion, but their common ground is their love of the printed word. The artists use books and text as tools of investigation, exploring the psychological impact of visual language while pushing the boundaries of freedom to express views that conflict with popular opinion. Paradoxically, the book is used as a means to question its own authority within the context of a revered liberal arts library.

The artists whose works are featured in the exhibition are: Audra Wolowiec (New York), Brian Dettmer (Illinois), Brian Singer (California), Buzz Spector (New York), Carolyn Thompson (United Kingdom), Donna Ruff (Florida), Doug Beube (New York), Gary Gissler (New York), Jeff Wallace (New York), Julia Bloom (Washington, DC), Kerith Lisi (California), Lisa Kokin (California), Meg Hitchcock (New York), Oriane Stender (New York), and Stefana McClure (New York).

In the exhibition, books are dissected and flayed, pages are torn and sliced, and words are burnt and otherwise redacted in a process of poetic transformation. For example, Donna Ruff’s Federalist Papers are enlarged copies of the original documents, with letters removed by laser-cutting and burning. Brian Singer’s Art of the Deal is a copy of Donald Trump’s 1987 book, wrapped in the threads of a Russian flag. In the Chang Gallery, a small octagonal room within the RBML, Jeff Wallace has created an installation of more than 300 stripped book covers that spotlight the formal elegance of the book after it has been denuded of text.

Over time, the artists in “CONTEXT” have shown together in text-based group exhibitions across the country and have formed a loose community around their common medium. Their work takes on new meaning at Columbia, where they exercise the freedom of expression at a critical time and place in American history.

A conversation with several of the artists will take place on Thursday, December 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the RBML. Register here to attend.