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5/12/2001

Multiple Personalities

Haines Gallery, San Francisco

Curated by Amy Davila

Haines Gallery is pleased to announce its first group exhibition which is comprised solely of artist multiples and editions. This show includes work by Marina Abramovic, Polly Apfelbaum, Joseph Beuys, George Brecht, Rob Craigie, Michael Daines, Mark Dion, Douglas Gordon, Valery Grancher, Ann Hamilton, Damien Hirst, Mario Hergueta, Barbara Kruger, Peter Luining, Michael Mandiberg, MTAA, David Nash, Dennis Oppenheim, Alan Rath, Karin Sander, Jonathan Seliger, John F. Simon, Jr., Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Fred Tomaselli, Mary Tsiongas, and Andy Warhol. The exhibition will exist both physically and virtually, comprised of work by traditional and experimental artists and thus emphasizing the extent of this art form’s context as a product, a concept and a methodology.

"Multiple Personalities" comments on the history of the multiple and addresses the reasons behind this art form's development over time. Simply, a multiple can be defined as an art object that is produced in a quantity of more than one copy. However multiples are more than a technique used to produce art, they are also "the embodiment of a theoretical standpoint in relation to the entire artistic discipline." (Buchholz 1992) The multiple functions as a vehicle for the transmission of ideas and as it is repeated referencing a unique work, it becomes a denial of appearances and expectations. From the 60’s to present day, "commercial culture thrives on duplication" just as modern communication depends on repetition as seen in news media, corporate ad campaigns, and commercial jingles, repetition is a technique used to reiterate a message’s importance and to give it validity, clarity and strength.

Beginning in the 1960s, artists published multiples or object-editions by themselves, Piero Manzoni created a work entitled "Merda d’Artista", which was comprised of 100 cans of his own excrement. In New York, George Maciunas began the production and distribution of Fluxus multiples, which were based on the premise that art should belong to everyone by the means of mechanical reproduction. For Fluxus artists, multiples were not only economical and easy to distribute, but they were the best art form to present the ongoing developments of the artists’ ideas. Pop artists utilized mass-produced objects as a commentary on consumerism, and by the latter half of the decade, multiples became associated with the democratization of art.

Throughout history, the multiple has been seen as a vehicle for information and way to de-emphasize the obsession and privileges of the art "object". Utilizing the mass-distribution and communication of the Internet, advanced digital technology and innovative model building software, artists have expanded the philosophy of the art multiple into a new realm. Essentially, everything that is created on the net is a multiple. Technology has given artists the means to truly dematerialize art. The digital art multiples can be viewed here and are available for purchase online.

Image: JONATHAN SELIGER "Clear Cut" (detail view) 2001 Oil, alkyd, acrylic, varnish on museum board and on wood 75 x 47 x 1.5 inches overall

Haines Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday 10.30am - 5.30pm and on Saturday from 10.30am - 5.00pm. The Gallery also stay open late on the First Thursday of every month until 7.30pm.

Haines Gallery 49 Geary Street Fifth Floor San Francisco, CA 94108

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