Andrea Büttner Monograph

Andrea Büttner‘s first comprehensive monograph was co-produced by MK Gallery and MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt to coincide with the exhibitions at each institution. It features a large amount of images of her work, ranging from woodcuts and reverse glass paintings, to slide shows and hand-held video, as well as views from exhibitions at dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012), Artpace, San Antonio, USA (2011) and Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK (2008).

Contributions from writers Lars Bang Larsen, Richard Birkett and Chus Martinez, alongside an interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist and Nikolaus Hirsch address prominent motifs in Büttner’s work, from the Arte Povera movement and the Franciscan religious order to the German artist HAP Grieshaber. Also included are transcripts from three of Büttner’s sound pieces: Corita Reading (2006) which brings together extracts quoted by American artist Sister Corita Kent in her work; Roth Reading (2006) which singles out expressions of shame and embarrassment in Swiss artist Dieter Roth’s diaries; and Tischreden (Table speeches) (2013) a series of talks on the subject of poverty. Edited by Susanne Gaensheimer and Anthony Spira and published by Koenig Books, London, 2013.

The careful considerations in the three completely different texts were mirrored by the artists’ very carefully selected images of her work and the position of these images on the page. The – unusually large – format of the book also contributed to making it more than ‘just’ a catalogue, as it allows the reader to gain a comprehensive sense of the materiality of the woodcut that is so prevalent in the artist’s work. The texts were interesting to copy-edit / proof, as they each approach the artist’s practice from an entirely different angle.