specific object / david platzker
presents
Bruce Conner for Supervisor
November 29 – December 17, 2010 & January 3 – January 28, 2011
Specific Object / David Platzker is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition
Bruce Conner for Supervisor. The exhibition will be on view at Specific Object from November 29 – December 17, 2010 and resuming January 3 – January 28, 2011.
In today’s era of political turmoil it’s refreshing to remember when politics were perhaps more sane, more rational, more inspirational, more honest and more genuine. Take San Francisco in 1967 for example, and the "Beat Artist" Bruce Conner’s run for a seat on the board of city supervisors.
For him [Bruce Conner] the campaign was more like a game. At that time there was no fee to run for supervisor in San Francisco. So it was free publicity. He got to give speeches to the public. He also got to publish at no cost in the booklet where the candidates listed their qualifications and positions. The speech he gave was a list of candies and desserts and I believe the one that went into the voter’s booklet was about light. He went through the Bible, probably the New Testament, picked out all the verses in which light was mentioned and that was his statement. Bruce voted in every election and was very critical of friends who didn’t vote. Even if his was the only "no" vote, it was important to let someone know that someone had protested. -- Jean Conner,
Bruce Conner: Die 70er Jahre, Verlag für moderne Kunst, Vienna, Austria, 2010
Conner, riffing San Francisco’s emerging counter culture graphic sensibilities designed a screen-printed campaign poster featuring the image of the artist painting the word "LOVE" on a two-year old elephant, a commission by Goldwyn Studio’s for Peter Sellers’ notorious spoof "The Party."
"That psychedelic part threw me at first," said Conner. "I didn’t know quite what it meant. I once did endpapers for a book by Timothy Leary. You’re supposed to read it when you’re on a trip. I didn’t care much for the book so I tried to make the endpapers nice so people would have something nice to look at." -- Bruce Conner,
Los Angeles Times, May 17, 1967
This presentation at Specific Object features three remaining elements from Bruce Conner’s 1967 run for office: two of the campaign posters he designed, as well as a sticker covered soapbox platform on which Conner delivered his campaign speeches. Surely if Conner had won everyone would have received their just desserts.
An exhibition checklist is available at:
www.specificobject.com/projects/conner/Conner-Checklist.PDF
Specific Object's hours are Monday - Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, or by appointment.
Specific Object is located at 601 West 26th Street / Floor 2M / Room M285, New York City.
Telephone (212) 242-6253.
Specific Object's website is www.specificobject.com
For additional information regarding the exhibition or Specific Object please email David Platzker at
[email protected]
This press release is archived at:
www.specificobject.com/projects/conner.pdf
