Jeff Rathermel: Recent and Revisited presents artists’ books and related objects spanning two decades. Rathermel, previously the Executive Director of Minnesota Center for Book Arts and past Director and Curator of Carleton College’s Perlman Art Museum, lives and creates in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His works are often executed in thematic series and reference such diverse topics as mathematical theory, sexuality, colonial exoticism, and aesthetic philosophy. Stylistically, his practice is rooted in Surrealist traditions and Fluxus attitudes.

The exhibition at the University of the West of England in Bristol features selections from the Rorschach, Hortensias, Tango, and Articulating the Infinite series. These artists’ books manifest in a variety of traditional and non-traditional formats and investigate concepts such as historical changes in the definitions of morality and mental illness; the interwoven relationships of humans with their natural environments; inter- and intra-personal conflicts; and the impossibility – despite a strong human yearning – to grasp or define the concepts of “forever” and “endlessness.” In addition, books and multiples from the Project Gutenberg Project are on view. This collection of works both memorialises and celebrates various aspects of “bookishness.”

New work, primarily using collage and other mixed media techniques to generate narratives, is also presented. Titles include Dancing with Putin (a commentary on current events as well as a cautionary tale of indifference and authoritarianism), Haute Couture (an exploration of the body and its physical and metaphorical ornamentation), and Orient (a tool kit for finding one’s bearings in an unfathomable universe).

As a whole, Recent and Revisited demonstrates the many ways in which complex concepts and layered content can be effectively communicated to diverse audiences. While many of the explored themes are abstract and expansive, personal introspection and discovery are facilitated and encouraged. To that end, each work was created to celebrate the unique and intimate relationship artists’ books have between an artist and their viewer/reader.

To view more works by Jeff Rathermel, visit Instagram.

This exhibition is open to the public Monday – Friday 9am-5pm. No booking needed. The library is on the first floor of B block.

The exhibition will also be open to the public during the weekend of Bristol Artist’s Book Event (BABE) Sat 29 and Sun 30 June 2024, 11am – 5pm each day, free event all welcome.

For more information on Bower Ashton Library, visitor access and campus map, see the library website. You can also follow the library’s Twitter feed.

UWE Bristol, City Campus at Bower Ashton, Kennel Lodge Road, Bristol BS3 2JT.