Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl is pleased to present new works byJohn Baldessari, on view in the gallery from October 7 to November 6, 2010. On October 14, from 6 – 8pm, the gallery will host a reception for the artist and a signing of the book John Baldessari: A Catalogue Raisonné of Prints and Multiples 1971‐2007. This book by Sharon Coplan Hurowitz and published by Hudson Hills Press is the first comprehensive study of Baldessari’s print work and multiples.
Titled Foot and Stocking (With Big Toe Exposed), the six bold and colorful images being exhibited have just been printed and published by the Los Angeles‐based artists’ workshop, Gemini G.E.L. To begin his work on this series, Baldessari had photographs taken of the bare right foot of several members of his studio staff and then digitally reworked each image by covering the entire foot, except the right big toe, with a black form in the appearance of a sock. The Gemini workshop made print‐outs of Baldessari’s files to determine the proper scale, and once resolved, Gemini’s printers began the lengthy process of making screens and color‐proofing each image. Baldessari created a formula for the six colors utilized in the project, selecting three pairings of color that alternate top to bottom. Originally the black area of the foot was simply screenprinted in a semi‐gloss black ink, but Baldessari was stimulated by the workshop’s enthusiasm to add a textured sock, and several fabrics were auditioned. The final result is a black sock made of laser‐cut Cordura, a urethane‐coated nylon, applied with a heat‐activated adhesive. The exposed toe is also a collaged element – a screenprinted and varnished duplicate toenail, hand‐cut and collaged using a pressure sensitive adhesive – and the side edges of the collaged nail are individually hand‐painted by the workshop.
