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A Brief History of Artist Multiples
by Michelle Camille Jolicoeur

Artist multiples are a small gift from an artist to the viewer - they are created for personal interaction. They’re a contemporary art medium that is often, but not always, small in size, produced in numerous quantities (usually a predetermined limited quantity), presented serially, reasonably priced, and intended to be accessible. A lot of things you might not consider to be a work of art can be considered artist's multiples. Things like buttons, matches, stickers, and snacks with clever packaging fall into this category. The appeal of this medium lies in its formal capacity to experiment with different media, while simultaneously allowing itself to stray from the expectations, traditions, or preconceptions of what art ‘should’ be, due to the comparative accessibility of the materials when contrasted with traditional artistic materials. The inexpensiveness of this artistic form allows the artist greater creative breathing room and thus freedom to push artistic limits.

Stemming from influential philosophical and artistic movements of the 20th century, such as Absurdism and Dadaism, artist multiples often present themselves as visual puns. They are also heavily rooted in the Fluxus movement, a movement which rejected museums and innovated alternative distribution methods of art. This latter characteristic stands as especially intriguing when considered alongside the inaccessibility and highly expensive nature of consuming art prior to the internet, which needed to be sold through a gallery or dealer. Works like S.M.S (“Shit Must Stop”), was a subscription service by William Copley and Dmitri Petrov, which commissioned artists for a multiple and mailed eleven to thirteen objects from various artists directly to the viewer. This reconsidered art distribution by using the post to connect audiences to works by artists of all statures, exemplifying the indebted influence to the Fluxus movement. Due to the large quantities of artist multiples, they are often not classified “high art” by the general public, even though they speak to the same topics as traditional media in a museum or gallery. Because of this, they are often not put on display in exhibitions, except in highly specific scenarios, like providing cultural context for an exhibition. While multiples are often devalued in this manner, I would like to suggest that this is a strict undervaluation of them, as the unique form of multiples lends them a powerful voice, capable of having stakes in political, global, and existential issues. Because the guidelines for multiples are so loose, it allows for people with any background of experience to create, and to do so without needing to cross the high barrier of entry concerning technical skills and finances, adding further to the varied voices and perspectives this medium offers.

Here are some of my favourite multiples to serve as examples and hopefully inspire you to make your own.

1. Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1991

Using two commercially accessible clocks, Gonzeles-Torres installs them next to each other, touching each other and displaying the same time. Over time, it is natural that the clocks fall out of synch despite initially mirroring each other. This simple use of such mundane objects brings meaning to the ordinary and uses the inevitability of the passing of time as a variable with which the work and the viewer must evaluate.

2. Pieter Laurens Mol, This Paper is Yours, 1974

This is currently my favourite multiple, and uses a plain piece of brown paper rolled up in a cardboard tube. On the bottom right corner of page is the text “THIS PAPER IS YOURS” and on the following line, “THIS IS MINE”, with a cutout interrupting the second sentence. The piece is so clever that the poetic gesture of the artist to connect, through time and space, is timeless.

3. Jenine Marsh, The feeling’s mutual, 2016

Party favours or invites are often approached as opportunities for multiples. Commissioned by Mercer Union for one of its events, Marsh created casts on the palm of her hand as gifts for attendees.

4. Jenny Holzer, In A Dream You Saw A Way To Survive And Were Full Of Joy Condom. 1986.

Drawing on satire and dadaism, Holzer uses a condom to reflect on the AIDS crisis. It is part of her Survival Series (1983-1985), which spoke to the terror and loss which could be experienced in everyday living. Through its size and accessibility, this multiple is a great example of alternative methods to distribute art.

Interested in learning more? Visit these Toronto-based pages:
@micahlexier
artistsbooksandmultiples.blogspot.com

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