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Jeux de Massacre (Ionesco) from Liste/List

Jeux de Massacre (Ionesco) from Liste/List

Kay Rosen Jeux de Massacre (Ionesco) from Liste/List 1996 Silkscreened text on a French paperback book cover

Edition of 13
6 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 3/8 inches (16.5 x 10.8 x 1 cm)
Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite on back cover
(Inventory #33022)

LISTE/LISTA/LIST was made for a group exhibition at Randolph Street Gallery in Chicago in 1992 titled “Multiples ’92.” The artist’s contribution was a selection of over twenty classic French and Spanish paperback books whose covers had been screenprinted with her texts: the reprised “Liste/List” (from the 1990 List Portfolio) and a newly created Spanish/English version titled “Lista/List” comprised of Spanish/English words. The dual-language texts consists of a prose-stye list of French or Spanish words that look like English words, followed by their translated counterparts (rue/street or come/eats). The lists appear to be a sort of glossary for the contents of the books, when in reality their linguistic ambiguity prevents any useful guidance. The sound and meaning of the words contradict their visual commonality and demonstrate the fragility of cross-cultural communication.

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