DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP, DUB-DUP. I AM GLAD IF I CAN STAMP.
Since 1971, Hungarian artist Endre Tót has worked with a series titled ‘Joys’ — beginning as a reflection of the dictatorial conditions Eastern European socialism during 1970s. The absurdity of the naive and euphoric expressions of joy stood in stark contrast, not only to the oppressive political climate, but also to the intellectualism of the art world. In 1978, Tót wrote “I’d be happy if I could write on the other side too” on the Berlin Wall. Over the years, Tót has repurposed this phrase a number of times, in different contexts.
For The Leporello Series, LL’Editions has invited a select group of international artists to contribute. Each artist is given carte blanche, restricted only by the accordion format and its ten panels (recto). To date, participating artists include (in order of appearance) Heimo Zobernig, Micah Lexier, Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press, Ryan Gander, Shannon Ebner, Maurizio Nannucci, Karl Holmqvist, Jonathan Monk, Pieter Laurens Mol, Kay Rosen, Alejandro Cesarco and Endre Tót.
Inhabiting a space between book and paper sculpture, the Leporellos are printed on delicate Mohawk Superfine Eggshell paper. Each volume in the series is limited to 250 numbered copies which come in a bespoke rigid box, with the title hot foiled both on its front and on its spine, allowing it to sit comfortably in a bookshelf when not on display.
Biography
Endre Tót born in Sümeg, Hungary, 1937 is a Hungarian artist who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Tót participated in the Fluxus movement and is well known for his Mail art projects, the use of xerox copies and usage of rubber stamps with clear conceptual text declarations.
Tót’s works have been showcased at numerous international exhibitions in the past decades held at such venues as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Gallery in London among others. He had retrospective exhibitions at the renowned Museum Ludwig in Cologne (1999), the Museum Friedericianum in Kassel (2006), and the MODEM in Debrecen, Hungary (2012).
