Neon Book Paintings (2016-ongoing)
Neon highlighter on books, dimensions variable
Images courtesy the artist
Beginning the practice in 2016 with the intention of showcasing the books, Shirt started creating what he called ‘Neon Book Paintings’ in New York, California, and Europe. Using a specific Stabilo Boss-brand neon highlighter, a ‘book painting’ is completed when the artist highlights the words, sentences, and passages in a book that stand out to him on his first read. The works were first shown in NYC at Shirt’s exhibit Elsewhere, We Remain Unreadable, where (21) books were laid out on a table in the center of the room, accompanied by chairs. A small note on post-it paper at the head of the table read, ‘Feel free to sit + read through,’ inviting viewers to do exactly that. Books in the series include works by Adrian Piper, Elena Filipovic, Man-Ray, Glenn Ligon, Legacy Russell, Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, Martine Syms, and Kathryn Yusoff.
Additional images available upon request
Neon highlighter on books, dimensions variable
Images courtesy the artist
Beginning the practice in 2016 with the intention of showcasing the books, Shirt started creating what he called ‘Neon Book Paintings’ in New York, California, and Europe. Using a specific Stabilo Boss-brand neon highlighter, a ‘book painting’ is completed when the artist highlights the words, sentences, and passages in a book that stand out to him on his first read. The works were first shown in NYC at Shirt’s exhibit Elsewhere, We Remain Unreadable, where (21) books were laid out on a table in the center of the room, accompanied by chairs. A small note on post-it paper at the head of the table read, ‘Feel free to sit + read through,’ inviting viewers to do exactly that. Books in the series include works by Adrian Piper, Elena Filipovic, Man-Ray, Glenn Ligon, Legacy Russell, Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, Martine Syms, and Kathryn Yusoff.
Additional images available upon request