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Selected Works

Ten people ten books

Ten people ten books
1994
Cloth cover book with vellum architectural plan and 4 pedestals

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Opening reception: Thursday, January 29, 6-8 pm

We are pleased to announce the opening of Jorge Pardo's second solo exhibition in New York. The opening reception is from 5 pm to 8 pm on Saturday, 29 January and the exhibition continues through February 26.

The most essential part of this show is 10 copies of a catalogue documenting Pardo's design of a house which could be built according to the artist's floor plans. The house will be approximately 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, with two bedrooms, and a peculiarly long kitchen. Pardo's premise is to problematize the borders of art and architecture when he claims authorship on such a project despite the lack of practical experience which a 'professional' artist versus an architect has to acknowledge. Pardo takes the modernist belief that form follows function to such an extreme that the utopian desire is always in danger of collapse by its own rules. Modernist aesthetic such as reduction of form collides either with personal 'vision', matters of convenience, or simply a budget problem.

The catalogue documents this 'aesthetic of negotiation' as limited by its budget. Individual mistakes and structural inconsistencies were incorporated in the product according to what the printer and binder preferred to realize in response to Pardo's instructions. The catalogue consists of 10 pages of architectural drawings on vellum, an essay by the artist, and a quote by film director Billy Wilder. Pardo inverted the common practice of catalogue distribution which mostly serves the promotion of fine art works. Since it is most likely that there are more collectors willing to buy paintings for their houses than building houses for their paintings, Pardo restricted the number of available catalogues to ten copies. The collector/ purchaser acquires the rights to eventually build the house in order to realize the artwork. These ten available copies mirror the number of copies which Pardo gave to all the people who were involved with design, printing, and payment of the project.

Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 11 - 6 pm and by appointment.
26 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013
For further information, please contact the gallery at info@petzel.com, or call (212) 680-9467.