Peter Blum is pleased to announce the exhibition Louise Bourgeois: Ode à L'Oubli opening on September 30th at 99 Wooster Street, New York.
The exhibition marks the publication of the book Ode à L'Oubli by Peter Blum Edition. This is an edition of 25 entirely handmade books in cloth.
In keeping with an intention to recycle household linens and clothing, Bourgeois produced the original book using just such materials. The task of matching each of the 36 pages of the original book 25 times for the edition was undertaken by Solo Impression in conjunction with Dye-Namix Inc., New York.
The techniques used are many and varied. Fabric had to be found and then dyed to match the original. A monogrammed napkin used in the original book was reproduced by hand embroidering the monogram onto the identical material. Many of the pages contain hand-stitched appliquéd shapes. The fabrics used include: silk chiffon, cotton gauze, nylon tricot, crepe de chine and a silk stocking, to name a few examples.
The abstract imagery of the different pages includes many of Bourgeois' signature themes: grids, arrows, pods, pyramid structures, geometric shapes and spirals. There are also two pages of written statements.
Ode à L'Oubli, 2004 is a cloth book containing 36 pages, produced in an edition of 25 copies with 7 additional artist's proofs. It measures 10 ¾ x 13 ¼ in. (27 x 34 cm). Each page is hand-sewn and printed with lithographic ink and archival dyes.
