Aachen: Ludwig Forum fur International Kunst, 1994
29.5 x 21cm, 20pp plus card covers. Exhibition catalogue which is heavily based on the catalogue from Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Lessons of Darkness 1988. The text is an extended biography illustrated chronologically by works in b/w but updated to 1994. VG+.
...
Malmo: Malmo Konsthall, 1993,br.
27 x 21.5cm, 1290pp plus original wrappers. Plus 27 x 21.5cm, 8pp printed insert. Artist's book which appropriated a telephone book from the Swedish city Malmo which Boltanksi placed a printed label on the front cover. Inside he circled an area of the district map using felt-tipped pen and additionally added an addendum of names and addresses and numbers as a separate insert which claims "You cannot call these inhabitants of Malmo, they died in 1993".
This book is one of only 25 signed copies (on the inside cover) aside from the unsigned edition of 400 issued during the exhibition "Christian Boltanski" in Malmo. The book is in original mailing box sent to M. Berg.
...
Prague: AFAA / Institut Français de Prague, 1994
30 x 22cm, 40pp plus card covers - the all bound clamped in a wooden rod! Exhibition catalogue for a major retrospective exhibition with many of the shadow play works on display along with other major installations. Colour and b/w images throughout, an essay in Czech and French by Gunter Metkem and an interview with the artist, VG+ condition and rather unusual format with the wooden stick.
...
Dublin/Glasgow: CCA and Tramway, Glasgow, 1994
25.5 x 37cm. embossed folio-folder with ribbon-tie, content of four texts (50 pp. combined), each housed in individual vari-colored folder, a single glossy offset sheet of 64 photo-based b/w images (housed in vari-colored folder), two sets of 24 b/w photo-based card images (2 x 6 cm., respectively) and 5 b/w photo-postcards documenting the title installation as wel as an image of the Mackintosh Library at Glasgow School of Arts+ contents sheet. Additionally there are five sets of bound "clocking-in" cards for supposed workers who were later, it is hinted at, were made redundant.
First issue of this intriguing assemblage multiple by Boltanski, after a project which was exhibited in Dublin and Glasgow. A poignant and provocative work. All elements intact (many online examples are missing the postcards) and in fine estate in like folio-folder.
One included item was an appropriated photographic postcard (originally by Bedford Lemere in 1910) of the Mackintosh Library at Glasgow School of Art alongside the other documents which related to lost things. Obviously Boltanski was not to know it would be "lost" itself in time when it burned down in 2014 almost 20 years later.
Scarce thus - many of the folders were lost in a warehouse water accident from the original printing of 500 sets (and many of the remainders bought as a job lot by Paul Robertson when the Glasgow CCA decided to sell off their bookshops stock.
The work is full of ironies.
...
Duisberg: Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg, 1994
21 x 14.8cm, 48pp plus typographic card covers. Exhibition catalogue prefaced by an essay by Bettina Ruhrberg - "Auf der suche nach der verlorenen kindheit" followed by a second by Cornelia Bruninghaus-Knubel "kunst als Interaktion".
What follows are several pages showing 60 small b/w photographs of objects donated to the exhibition by the children of Duisberg and Moers and followed by a long list (with birth dates) of 506 children who donated objects to the archive. The final image is of the items on racks in the museum as they were displayed. VG+.
...
Berlin: Wiens Laden &Verlag/Podewil-Kunst/Hotel Pension Nurnberger Eck, 1994
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp announcement card for an exhibition of books and two installations. VG+
...
Zurich: Museum der Stadentwasserung Zurich, 1994
24 x 17cm, outer printed folder content of 282pp (all unbound sheets - most 2pp but plates are 1pp). A group exhibition which was themed around the fact that the Cloaca Maxima was one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Each artist contributed a work to the exhibition and Boltanski displayed the Objets Trouves dans Les Egouts de Zurich (Objects Found in The Sewers of Zurich) and 31 objects are reproduced in b/w on the sheets here.
Other artists included in the show were Fischli/Weiss, Paul-Armand Gette, Gilbert & George. Hans Haacke, Carsten Holler, Ilya Kabakov, Allan Kaprow, Otto Muhl, Gerhard Richter, Andreas Slominiski, Nancy Spero amongst others. Texts in German, French and English. VG+ sheets in slightly worn folder....
Berlin: En Passant, 1994
21 x 15cm, 6pp plus card covers. Exhibition handout for three simultaneous exhibitions by Boltanski - short essay by Michael Glasmeier in German with no illustrations, VG+.
...
Aachen: Thouet Verlag and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König. 1994.
26.7 x 20.8cm, 980pp (approx.). Artist's book which reproduces 975 black and white appropriated photographs of mostly faces (although there are group images also) randomly assembled from the vast collection of such images the artist had collected since the 1970s. As such the near 1,000 pictures are meant to represent mankind - with no information about the subjects whatsoever. In many ways Boltanski's objective recording of such anonymous people reflects a view of history and life that has no judgement - in fact, no morality - as one does not know if the person one is looking at is villain or hero, victim or predator, alive or dead (although probably dead given the statistics of life).
This is regarded as one of Boltanski's most important artist's books although it is really a summary of all that he had done before in this realm of appropriation photography.
The book has the following tale as a sort of foreword in German:
"Der große Rabbi von Lodz lag im Sterben,
umgeben von seinen Anhängern.
Der Jüngste , Benjamin , wollte dem Sterbenden
noch eine letzte Frage stellen . Er fragte ihn : „ Was ist das Leben ?
“ Der große Rabbi antwortete : „ Das Leben!
Das Leben ist eine Quelle.“
Dieser Satz wurde von den Anwesenden
mit großer Zufriedenheit
und Respekt aufgenommen,
mit Ausnahme von Benjamin,
der erwiderte : „ Was ? Das Leben ist eine Quelle?
“ Da hörte man den großen Rabbi sagen: „ Was ?
Das Leben ist keine Quelle?
“ Das waren seine letzten Worte."
Which we translate as:
The great Rabbi of Lodz was dying
surrounded by his followers.
The youngest, Benjamin, wanted the dying man
ask one last question. He asked him, “What is life? "
The great rabbi replied:" Life!
Life is a source.“
That sentence was spoken by those in attendance
received with great satisfaction and respect,
with the exception of Benjamin, who replied, “What? Is life a source?"
Then one heard the great rabbi say:" What?
Life is not a source? “Those were his last words.
Boltanski's ambiguity to the fate or having more knowledge of the subjects of these images is reflected in that tale.
There are some issues with condition of this copy - the front cover has been bent vertically and some pages are a little badly folded internally due to poor printing but overall it is just under VG. Now scarce.
...
Obala: Art Centar Sarajevo, 1994
10.2 x 15.5cm, 2pp announcement card with a shadow sculpture installation view in b/w on the front and verso museum details. VG+.
...
Zurich: Museum der Stadtentwasserung, 1994 15 x 10.5cm, 2pp announcement card for a group show which included Boltanksi, Fischli & Weiss, Gette, Gilbert & George, Holler, Haacke, Kaprow, Kelly, Muhl, Richter, Spero, Slominski, and others. VG+. ...
Barcelona:Fundacio Espai Poblemou, 1994
56 x76.5cm, full colour lithographic offset exhibition poster with an image of a Boltanski Dispersion installation where piles of second hand clothes are left in the building and visitors are welcome to take them away. VG+.
...