Erica Baum: the bite in the ribbon—a paper show

Through the selection, manipulation, and reproduction of existing printed materials, Erica Baum creates a poetry of word and image that inspires close looking and close reading. In the acclaimed artist’s first solo museum exhibition, several series are juxtaposed, revealing the interrelated explorations of her practice. Early, ongoing projects and the artist's most recent turns are featured in the bite in the ribbon—a paper show, with never-before-seen work throughout.

On view in the Potter Peristyle, Baum's series Dog Ear and Blanks adapt the page marking convention of the dog ear. Using found books, the artist folds the corner of the page to create a meeting between the surface of one page and the next. In Dog Ear, this limited intervention creates surprising poetic adjacencies and visual forms from the original text. In the related series Blanks, the same process is performed with blank pages, forming striking compositions from minimal materials.

In the Project Gallery, the interrelated series Patterns and Fabrications show Baum's recent explorations of the visual and material culture of fashion and craft. In Patterns, the artist activates the lines, forms, patterns, colors, and texts found in the abstract world of mid-century sewing patterns. Fabrications continues from Patterns by opening into a broader visual culture of magazines, catalogs, and books related to fashion and craft, as well as the advertisements and coupons found within. Together, these series reframe the domestic imaginary present in the printed materials Baum recontextualizes. Engaging in textual and visual play, Baum invites us to experience what was once familiar in unexpected new ways.

Curated by Daniel Peacock, Department of Photography.