ERICA BAUM

Jaquinta reflects on the recent article in 'Art in America'

'Erica Baum in the Studio', Steel Stillman, Art in America Oct 13 (p156-165)

Erica Baum's art practice of photographing words stretches back 20 years. In this magazine article Steel Stillman interviews Baum and traces her journey into photography and language.

Stillman describes Baum's art as one of recontexualization. She takes existing text and remakes it using photography. Her practices encompasses collage, small cropped close ups and concrete poetry. 

On using photography Baun says:'I was attracted by the immediacy and speed of photography; its faster than painting and more like thinking'  p159

and  'Photography, I realized, was a form of concentration; I could turn my attention to anything.' p160.


I can relate to this. I see some new association or unusual juxtaposition and it triggers a thought in my mind and as quick as anything I can snap a picture.


Baum's focus is language: word/word and word/space juxtapositions. In the article there is a reproduction of her photograph 'Untitled (Suburban Homes),1997, gelatin silver print, 20 by 24 inches from the 'Card Catalogue' Series. It is a close up of a photograph of a card index with two tabs sticking up just as they do in an alphabetical index. The tabs read 'Subversive Activities' and 'Suburban Homes'. This is an example of those amazing juxtapositions we see in everyday life: Baum captures these and makes them into art.

I am interested in her on going 'Dog Ear' series. Book readers turn the top corner of the pages to keep their place. Baum puts two consecutive scanned enlarged corners of books together  to create a square out of two triangles and thus a concrete poem. The words meet at 90 degrees.

see examples on these links:
www.bureau-inc.com/mainsite/Artists/Erica/EricaImages7.html
www.bureau-inc.com/mainsite/Artists/Erica/EricaImages8.html

And here's the question: how to read concrete poetry.


Baum's artist's book 'Sightings' Onestar Press  comprises of lines of newspaper text laid out in horizontal bands to make a collage that is scanned and enlarged. She took the type from New York Times.

Baum says 'Though I use found words, I am infusing them with my own sensibility, playing on and abstracting the anxieties of our era' p162

Working with found text has exciting possibilities. This year I have continued with my on going process ' trace' ( see the tab at the top of this blog) and I have rediscovered collage after going to the Schwitters exhibition at Tate Britain. Baum has been working with found text and language for 20 years: I am just beginning.