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curated by Rachel Gugelberger

DAVID BUNN


No Voyager Record, 2008/2011
Slide projection
81 35mm slides, Kodak Carousel projector
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and Angles Gallery, Los Angeles


In No Voyager Record, David Bunn presents images of catalogue cards marked with annotations of lost or missing books at the Brooklyn Museum of Art library, where he had been invited to do a project with its discards. The title refers to the Voyager Project, the library’s digitization of its card catalogue. In an ironic twist, the digital version crashed and the backup was erased. The librarians had to salvage the old card catalogue, which had already been boxed for its disposal.


This Cute Piece of Miniature Art (Rosalea), 2004 (detail)
Unique Iris print, 24 Los Angeles Central Library catalogue cards and 13 prints by Rosalea
22 ½ x 43 ¾ inches framed
Courtesy of the artist and Angles Gallery, Los Angeles


In the series Subliminal Messages, David Bunn searched the discarded card catalogue of the Los Angeles Central Library for cards that revealed human interaction with the catalogue. Scanning evidence of use – fingerprints, stains, tears and graffiti – he then transformed the evidence into large-scale prints. This Cute Piece of Miniature Art (Rosalea) features the work of another artist, which Bunn discovered under the subject heading "Art":

"This ‘cute’ piece of miniature art was hidden by Rosalea to suit mass tastes and to remind the public to have a heart and support living artists. This art may not be sold because the artist received nothing for creating and distributing it, but it may be collected or traded for others (one million) that are hidden in unusual places throughout the country. Edition of 2,300. Copyright 1979 by Rosalea c/o Rosalea’s Hotel, Harper, Kansas 67058."


Youth U.S., 2004 (detail)
Unique Iris print, Los Angeles Central Library catalogue file and plexiglass
Print 29 x 40 inches framed; Library card 5 x 7 x .25 inches framed
Courtesy of the artist and Angles Gallery, Los Angeles


In Youth U.S., Bunn magnifies the hand-written word "Racist" which was written on the catalogue card entry for the book “Mexican-American Youth: Forgotten Youth at the Crossroads.”