Radical Writings, Abecedarium 7-1-91, 1991

In these two works, artist Irma Blank explores the relationship between breath and text. As if inviting us to read it, Dal Libro Totale is bound like a book. Instead of words and letters, though, we find repetitive drawn-out strokes, rhythmically punctuated by blank spaces. This illegibility repeats in Abecedarium with ultramarine blue bands that grow darker at the center, mimicking the spine of a book. So how can you read these? Simple. Breathe in…

© Irma Blank, photos by Michael Brezinski, courtesy of the artist and Alison Jacques Gallery, London