DAVID BELLINGHAM

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.

POCKET MONEY. 2021. VERY FEW MADE.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2021 15 x 10.5cm, 12pp (self cover). Hand made artist's book each with paint sprayed on the pages and with pre war 1p and half-penny coins in a glassine small pocket. This is one of Bellingham's "sprayed on demand" books where each is made for a cleint - and rarely more than 30 in total are made. VG+.

OUT OF THE STRONG CAME FORTH SWEETNESS. 2021.

Pittenweem: Cairn Gallery, 2021 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp announcement card for a solo show, the front of the card has the title work which references the slogan found on Tate & Lyle's golden syrup tins. The slogan was historically an ancient myth that bees were created in and emerged from dying lions. VG+.

OUT OF THE STRONG CAME FORTH SWEETNESS. 2021.

Pittenweem: Cairn Gallery, 2021 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard with an image of a light created from a modified Tate & Lyle's golden syrup tin. The title of the card comes from the brand's slogan taken historically from an ancient myth that bees were created in and emerged from dying lions. VG+.

THERE IS STILL SOMETHING IN THE AIR. 2021. UNIQUE MAIL ART.

Temple: Show & Tell Editions, 2021 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp. An example of Bellingham's "There is something in the air" postcard on which the artist has written in large capital letters THERE IS STILL SOMETHING IN THE AIR on the back of the card and hand addressed by the artist. A mailed unique example.

caution: interpretation reduces objects to meaning. 2021.

Glasgow: WAX366, 2021 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard with the title text in a design by Bellingham on the front, verso publisher's details. VG+.

SOCK VASE. 2021.

Iona: Iona Craft Shop, 2021 15 x 10.5cm, 2pp artist's postcard with an image of an Iona Wool sock with daffodils creating ht titular Vase Sock. An amusing postcard multiple published by the craft shop in Iona! VG+.

THE SITE OF THE HIDDEN SOLAR SYSTEM. 2021.

Iona: Iona Craft Shop, 2021 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard with an image of Iona overlaid with a drawing of Bellingham's public artwork where he buried various small sculptures in relative position to where the planets are in the solar system. VG+.

SOURDOUGH PLAN. 2022.

N.p.: Cottonrake, 2022 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard which purports to be a plan for a home backed sourdough loaf. The design of the card references a similar card by Ian Hamilton Finlay which shows a lemon in plan, side and front view and indicates it is a boat. The use of the colour blue reminds one of the original blueprints. There is a companion card which shows the plans for a Croissant. VG+.

CROISSANT PLAN. 2022.

N.p.: Cottonrake, 2022 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist's postcard which purports to be a plan for a home backed croissant. The design of the card references a similar card by Ian Hamilton Finlay which shows a lemon in plan, side and front view and indicates it is a boat. The use of the colour blue reminds one of the original blueprints. There is a companion card which shows the plan for a sourdough loaf. VG+.

CECI N’EST PAS UNE PIPE. 2022.

Glasgow: WAX366, 2022 10.5 x 15cm, 1pp full colour card with an image of some plumbing over which Bellingham has laid the title text: "CECI N'EST PAS UNE PIPE." to create a rather funny joke which references Rene Magritte's "The Treachery of Images" from 1929. VG+.

WATERFALL. 2022.

Glasgow: WAX366, 2022 15 x 10.5cm, 1pp full colour card with an image of a storage cabinet with hand towels arranged so that part of each towel is falling out towards the floor. The card is a visual pun on the title "Waterfall" which is ironically added to by the fact that the towels are objects usually used to dry up water not to provide it. VG+.

CITRON – CITROEN. 1997 – 2022. 2022.

Brussels: Object Multiple, 2022. 10.5 x 15cm, 2pp artist postcard with a full colour photograph of a bowl of lemons with toy cars (Citroens) added. A take on Broodthaers' original correspondence work (and also somewhat similar to an Ian Hamilton Finlay work - Citrones). Moreover this is similar to a 1997 postcard issued by Bellingham under his own publishing house WAX66 but here it is to announce an edition in 13 examples issued by Object Multiple - "a still-life to be assembled and maintained as required." VG+.

CAULIFLOWERLAMP. 2022.

Brussels: Object Multiple, 2022. 15 x 10.5cm, 2pp artist postcard with a full colour photograph of an edition of an object multiple in 13 examples issued by Object Multiple - "Neither a functioning light bulb nor a functioning cauliflower the cauliflower lamp is a surrogate; a likkeness of a cauliflower in the place of a bulb: a throw of white florets in the place of a throw of light". VG+.

DON’T FORGET. (BLANK) 2022. ONE OF 100 POSTCARDS AFTER RICHARD HAMILTON & MARCEL DUCHAMP.. (Copy)

Gorebridge: Show & Tell Editions, 2022 15 x 10.5cm, 2pp artist's postcard which is a design after the Richard Hamilton postcard "Don't Forget Marcel Duchamp" that he issued in 1979. The facsimile name of Richard Hamilton is removed and left blank which allows room for the sender of the card to write their own name. There is another card where the name of Richard Hamilton is printed. One of 100 such cards produced. VG+.

DON’T FORGET. R. HAMILTON. 2022. ONE OF 100 POSTCARDS AFTER RICHARD HAMILTON & MARCEL DUCHAMP.

Gorebridge: Show & Tell Editions, 2022 15 x 10.5cm, 2pp artist's postcard which is a design after the Richard Hamilton postcard "Don't Forget Marcel Duchamp" that he issued in 1979. Duchamp's name is replaced by Hamilton's in Bellingham's reworking. Verso: an explanatory short text and publisher's details. There is another card with Hamilton's name redacted and allowing room for the sender of the card to write their name. One of 100 such cards produced. VG+.

the colours expressed here are artificial any similarity to actual colours, living or dead, is purely coincidental. 2023. HAND PAINTED CARD. SIGNED ON BACK.

Glasgow: WAX366, 2023 19 x 14cm, 1pp letterpress black on thick white card which has had seven coloured brushstrokes added by the artist. Each example is unique. Signed on the back "Best David". VG+. Bellingham's New Year card for 2023.

A MEASURE OF THE YEAR. 2023. CALENDAR.

Glasgow: WAX366, 2023 30 x 21cm. Thirteen sheets spiral bound. A calendar issued by Bellingham as a new year gift. Each page has a colour image of a painted measuring stick designed by the artist in situ amongst a garden landscape - each is specific to the month as later images show the effects of different seasons on the flowers. The subtitle for the work is "a depth gauge planted in space and time" - the work shows the changes in height and colours over the period of one year. Limitation unknown but not too many. VG+.

NAMES OBJECT TO THINGS/THINGS OBJECT TO NAMES. 2023. A 3/4 NUMBER 1.

Hastings: Fifthsyllable, 2023 30 x 21cm, 4pp printed offset sheet which in the two inside pages with the texts: "names object to things/things object to names" in Bellingham's facsimile handwriting. Edition size not known. VG+.

UTOPIA DAY. 29 FEBRUARY 2024. 2024.

Glasgow: Wax366, 2024 42 x 30cm, 1pp back and green small poster advertising Bellingham's proposal for a Utopia Day where a temporary state of Utopia is declared on Leap Year's day. Belling ham has declared a similar day twice before in 2016 and 2020. Folded for mailing. JOINT Glasgow: Wax366, 2024 27 X 21cm, 1pp press release explaining the event Folded for mailing else VG+.

THESE WORDS WERE MADE BY PRINTING. 2024. LIMITED EDITION POSTCARD.

Glasgow: Peacock Press, 2024 15 x 21cm, 2pp b/w typographic design by the artist to mimic a stencil cut-out - on the reverse the works are printed black on white again to mimic a cut out. One of a limited edition issued on the 5o0th anniversary of Peacock Press. VG+.  

AN AMENDMENT TO HEGEL. 2024.

Glasgow: Peacock Press, 2024 21 x 14cm, 8pp (single folded sheet) with texts in the artist's facsimile text that reads: ART IS A THING OF THE FUTURE/ ART IS A THING OF THE PAST/ART IS A THING OF THE PRESENT". Two quotes from Hegel on the last page. One of a limited edition issued on the 50th anniversary of Peacock Press. VG+.

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