David Bellingham lives and works in Glasgow. He is an artist who works in a number of different fields including drawing and painting, artist’s books, photography, film, installation and sound art. Much of his output is textual in form – early works being visual and concrete poetry but later introducing aspects of conceptual art.
Having worked early in his career with Ian Hamilton Finlay, David Harding, Pavel Buchler, Thomas Joshua Cooper and Rodger Palmer – Bellingham has created a wide range of works alongside the creation of a publishing house in WAX366 (named after the registration of his beloved car).
This archive of books, cards, editions and original works has been created by Paul Robertson since first meeting Bellingham in 2000. Robertson and Bellingham have worked together on a number of exhibitions and project including the highly significant TURNOUT project where Bellingham re-wrote the entire vote of the first ever Scottish Parliament election – a phenomenal effort on the part of the artist who had to draw over 2 million Xs to complete the project in Robertson’s Heart Gallery in Edinburgh in 2005.
There are nearly 150 items in this collection – many of the books are unique hand made items and some of the artist’s earliest works from 1997 onwards are included in the group.
The archive may be for sale both as a collection or as individual items – please email mail@unoriginalsins.com to discuss further.
Glasgow: Wax366, 2009
15 x 12cm, 4pp artist postcard with a series of months "of events" listed but the March of Events in a different colour to emphasis the pun. The was a new year's card sent out by Bellingham to friends and colleagues and this example has "Best wishes David" in pencil on the inside. VG+.
Glasgow: Monorail Music, n.d. 45.5 x 37.5cm, two-sided printed plastic carrier bag for a record shop - the text on the front reads: ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR/ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR. A number of different colours of plastic were used - each different in each year - this is the first of the bags in green. VG+.
Glasgow: Monorail Music, n.d. 45.5 x 37.5cm, two-sided printed plastic carrier bag for a record shop - the text on the front reads: ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR/ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR. A number of different colours of plastic were used - each different in each year - this is the second of the bags in black. VG+.
Glasgow: Monorail Music, n.d. 45.5 x 37.5cm, two-sided printed plastic carrier bag for a record shop - the text on the front reads: ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR/ATTACK OF SOUND/ATTACK OF COLOUR. A number of different colours of plastic were used - each different in each year - this is the third of the bags in yellow. This example is signed on the front in black ink by the artist. VG+.
Loch Ruthven: HICA, 2009
10 x 15cm, 2pp colour announcement card for an exhibition with the work 40W 60W 100W on the front - a lime, lemon and orange are written with power levels on them in black felt tip pen. A mailed example addressed to Paul Robertson. Slight scuff caused by mailing on the front.
Glasgow: Wax366, 2010
25.5 x 21cm, 24pp (self cover). Stapled. Artist's book published as a new year's gift - 365 frames of a film each with the word DAY as the only image are reproduced one after another in black on silver. Limited edition artist's book. VG+.
N.p.: Furnished Editions, 2011
18.2 x 18.2cm, outer colour sleeve with a reproduced image from a Laurel and Hardy 8mm home movie and an photograph of the film being played through a projector, content of a standard 7in 45rpm vinyl record with a recording of the sound of the silent film being played. Additionally there is a 18 x 18cm, 1pp insert card with information about the work. Small limitation. VG+.
Glasgow: Wax366, 20171
21 x 15cm, 12pp (self covers). Artist's book which reproduces five "dot" drawings by Bellingham with each page being associated with different time periods (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks). Printed in silver on blue. Very small limitation sent out to friends and colleagues as a new year present as is Bellingham's practice. VG+.
Glasgow: Wax366, 2012
15 x 12cm, 1pp artist postcard with two drawings of paint cans labelled "UNDERCOAT morning" and "TOPCOAT afternoon" - a visual poem which compares the passage of time with the act of painting. VG+. This example is signed by the artist on the reverse. VG+.
JOINT:
Original hand addressed envelope.
Dundee: Cooper Gallery, 2012
15 x 9.3cm, 2pp printed artist's card showing a grocery sign advertising milk and bread - the former being 99p and the latter £1.00. The difference between the milk and bread being 1p, that penny is tipped onto the back of the card which is signed and numbered from an edition of 200. Housed in original plastic envelope. VG+.
Edinburgh: Ingleby Gallery, 2012
17 x 13.2cm, six page of silkscreen prints on an accordion folded sheet tipped into yellow printed outer folder. An artist book that compared stripping out the colours from four colour printing with peeling a lemon. One of only 100 signed and numbered copies. VG+.
Dundee: University of Dundee, 2013
22 x 15.4cm, outer folder content of five different 42 x 60cm (opened size) two-sided posters designed by the artist and a exhibition catalogue in the form of 21 x 15cm, 24pp (self cover) with interviews with the artist and one 21 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard. The exhinbition was of various wall drawings by the artist in the School of Humanities. VG+.