INTO THE ARCHIVE

Into the Archive

Contemporary Art in the Bard College Stevenson Library

Paul Branca

Dawn Cerny

Lukas Geronimas

David Horvitz

Eric Legris

Lee Puckett

Curated by Allison Simpson

December 6- December 16, 2009

Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

In Into the Archive, seventeen works (sixteen digital reproductions and one artist’s book) by six contemporary artists are integrated into the Bard College Stevenson Library collection.  They are bound and shelved alongside the texts according to the subjects that inspired or informed them. Each piece is assigned a call number and is temporarily annexed into the library’s online catalogue. (library.bard.edu)

The discrepancy between the well-organized, strategic arrangement of knowledge in a library comes into contrast with the vastness of the work, allowing it to stand in relief against the concrete subjects that frame it. Marked by conceptual rather than aesthetic landmarks, the works of Into the Archive span all four floors of the library, enabling a more active viewing experience. The contemporary is juxtaposed with the historical, the lone star with a constellation of knowledge.