Rosemary Mayer began her career in the late 1960s, experimenting with conceptual art. In 1971, she began to focus on the use of fabric as a primary medium for sculpture, to more actively pursue opportunities to exhibit her work, and to participate in a feminist consciousness-raising group. This was a pivotal period in Mayer’s life and career, and she documented it in remarkable detail in her 1971 journal.

With deep self-awareness and honesty, Mayer reveals herself, at age 28, in the process of committing more fully to life as an artist. In her journal, she records her ambitions and insecurities about her work, as well as her opinions about the art around her. She also chronicles how being an artist was interwoven into all aspects of her daily life, from concerns about money, to hanging out with friends, to being in love. The result is a striking document of the entanglement of art and life and an intimate view into the New York art scene of the 1970s, which, for Mayer, included Vito Acconci, Donna Dennis, Bernadette Mayer, Adrian Piper, and Hannah Weiner, among many others.

Photo: Laura Castro Caldas. Edition of 300.

“This work is installed when Ricardo Valentim gives a toast in the bar of The Ritz Four Season Hotel Lisbon. As conditions permit.”

“If you love contemporary art, particularly conceptual art, this promises to be an unforgettable experience unlike anything else you will find in Lisbon. We will be visiting five locations in the colourful neighbourhood of Graça, located in the heart of the city, where I currently live. This is also where the acclaimed French artist Daniel Buren presented his famous artwork Affichages Sauvages in 1980. Though it is considered an important work within the history of contemporary art produced in Portugal, it is virtually unknown among broad audiences. When Buren came to Lisbon forty years ago, he pasted posters bearing his signature stripes on the tiled walls of several Graça buildings. On this guided visit, we will see the sites where these no longer extant works were originally located, followed by a private viewing of one of the actual posters at my place near the breathtaking Miradouro da Graça. Refreshments will be served.”

You can see the Airbnb link here.

This publication contains the German philosopher Juliane Rebentisch’s seminal text Camp Materialism. Natural History in Jack Smith revised by the author and presented together with a new addendum A note on Camp Ridiculousness.

Produced on the occasion of the exhibition Hawkins Bolden: Tongues, at Robert Heald Gallery, Wellington, 25 June–2 July, 2020.

Hawkins Bolden (1914–2005) was a self-taught artist who lived his entire life in Memphis, TN. At the age of seven, Bolden was left completely blind following a baseball accident involving his twin brother. Later in life, he began scavenging the alleyways and fields around his home in search of discarded materials, litter and other debris with which to work.

More information on the exhibition can be found here and more information on Hawkins Bolden can be found here and here.