See the catalogue

g a rt en st u d i o g a llery, e x b er li n er
an d ed y p o p p y [r agn hild moe]
Don’t Judge a Book
by its cover !
. e x h i b i t i o n c ata l o gue .
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Don’t Judge a Book
by i ts cover!
g a rt en st u d i o g a llery
Naunynstr 53, 10999 Berlin, Kreuzberg.
t el. 030 22 16 222 97
www.gartenstudio.org
du r at i o n
4 February – 27 February 2008
o pen i ng h o u r s
mon, tue , wed 8–14
t hu, fri 14–18
sat 11–17
su n days by appointments only
design: Øystein Vidnes [email protected]
t y peface : Garamond Premier Pro
fi n iss age
27 February with ex b er li n er
at Kaffee Burger Torstraße 58/60 from 21.00 till late
Call for creative and artistic spirits!
Take part in the exhibition at Gartenstudio Gallery:
Exhibition concept
“DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!”
WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS of an artist over
her or his own work? Norwegian author Ragnhild Moe (Edy Poppy) is
making an appeal to ‘cover’ her
first novel, Die Hände des Cellisten (Anatomi. Monotoni),
after feeling betrayed by her
German publisher Goldmann.
Without consulting the author, they marketed the book
as an ‘erotic novel’, changing the title and cover into
clichés fitting for this genre,
claiming the original was too
shocking for the German sensibility.
Wh at are t he rights of an art ist over her or his own work?
Norwegian author Ragnhild Moe (Edy Poppy) made an appeal to ‘cover’ her first novel,
Die Hände des Cellisten (Anatomi. Monotoni), after feeling betrayed by her German
publisher Goldmann. Without consulting the author, they marketed the book as an ‘erotic
novel’, changing the title and cover into clichés fitting for this genre, claiming the original
was too shocking for the German sensibility.
i n s p i r ed by t he old t r a di t i o n of making covers from grey paper to hide
offensive images, Gartenstudio gallery invited artists from Europe and abroad to use the
book as a ‘canvas’: Create a new cover, a new title, cut holes in it, make it dog-eared, give it
coffee stains... anything goes! The exhibition is the result of this artistic solidarity.
t he n ew cov er d es i gns show the multiplicity of potential interpretations of a
same novel as much as they celebrate the transformation of the cover itself as an art-object.
INSPIRED BY the old tradition of making covers from grey paper to hide offensive
images and censor pornography, Gartenstudio invites you to use the book as
a canvas. Create a new cover, a new title, cut holes in it, make it dog-eared,
give it coffee stains... anything goes. The best entries will be part
of the exhibition opening in February 2008 along with a publication
of the exhibited pieces in the EXBERLINER. The top three will win a year-long
subscription to EXBERLINER! Deadline: 15 January. Send your proposal
to: Gartenstudio Gallery, Naunynstr 53, 10999 Berlin, Tel. 030 22 16 222 97,
www.gartenstudio.org. There will be a free supply of the book at the Gallery.
It can also be purchased in bookstores or online from Goldmann or Amazon. If
you have any questions, contact the gallery or Poppy: [email protected]
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M i k k el M c A li n d en
A wo m a n a n d a m a n conditionally entangled. Nudity, gravity.
Anatomy, monotony.
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er le k y lli n g m a rk
W h en t h e ru les i n a g a me become the main character, the result is a form
of self-deprivation, in the same way as Vår’s face is fading on the cover. The picture also
shows her journey deep into herself.
The empty bed on the back cover is like a trace of the life Vår and Lou try to live, active
and lonely at the same time.
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frode & m arcus
A bene placito – At one’s pleasure
At : 23:47 on Christm as eve , two pictures were taken at the very same moment.
One in Stockholm and one in Oslo.
It was already decided that the pictures were going to end up on top of each other, like
double exposure, on the book cover. At the time of the shoot the two photographers did
not know what the other was shooting. The two pictures are an illustration of the two
characters Vår and Ragnhild, in two different locations, settings and moods at the same
moment.
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hilde jørgensen
Die Hände des Gitarristen
W h en a n a rt ist ’s l a b o u r o f l ov e leaves her hand, one must accept others
involvement in it, and understanding of it. In the case of Edy Poppys novel, one can argue
that the limits of such interference has been breached. By turning a serious romantic
drama into an erotic cliché, the writers original intention with the book has been obscured
and diminished in an effort to sell more books in the capitalist market place.
Combining elements from girlish cartoons, and elements from Edy Poppys book, this
contribution is an ironic comment to the way the publisher has transformed the artists
original work. At the same time, it is meant to explore the fine line between the serious and
the comic in the way art is communicated.
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Jav ier Mu ri ll o Ba rri os
I o f t en t h i n k a b o u t how fast technology keeps evolving and how it affects
us. We have become mass consumers of technology rather than been consumed by
technology.… at least not yet. As consumers it shapes our way of living, giving us access to
unlimited information through the Internet and reconfirming much of our individuality
through multiple choices of gathering information. It has in many ways become
democratic and it is up to the user to create its meaning, or no meaning at all.
Much of my world is built upon experiencing life through the computer screen. Most of
the artwork I have seen has been while sitting in my studio navigating through the web
pages in hope that something will catch my attention and amaze me. It happens still that
this thrilling experience of surprise occurs. I flicker through thousands of different images
and download hundreds of them on a daily basis. The screen makes the images perfect
through its glossy surface and vivid pallet, abolishing all the mistakes of the real work
giving it an expression of perfection. Real life artwork has disappointed me to many times.
I want things to be easy and entertaining. Technology is the biggest provider of this need
from which I am dependent of.
I wonder if a book can be optimized even more in form and shape. In many ways it
has remained unchanged for centuries, and probably stay unchanged for centuries to
come. A book is like a monument that survives all technological changes. A book is
like the founding brick for all information. I saw in the National Geographic channel a
documentary of a team that is preserving humans history by carving it down in miniature
size in a stone. A stone would not be affected by a computer virus that could extinguish all
our information. Maybe this team are the first stone carvers of a post apocalyptic world?
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javier rodriguez
On Mourning
T h e p i ec e co m es fro m my latest series of work called “Melancholia Anatomen”
inspired from the famous book written by Robert Burton This image can be seen as a
visual metaphor of the title Anatomy Monotony.
The piece, like its name suggest is about loss, of something or someone physical. It depicts
the almost intangible connection that exists between two “bodies” that have been
separated. A mirror image of the self when left in solitude and the monotonous feeling of
melancholy that this carries.
“On mourning” illustrates in this way, the beautiful title of Poppy’s novel.
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J ø r n To m t er
M y a i m wa s to turn the cover into something more true to the content by only using
the original artwork on the German publication. I wanted to keep the process simple and
make the result appealing to the eye. It’s not always about the image, but how you use it.
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I n gr i d A s k el a n d
F o r Ed y ’s a n d Ta m’s ten years wedding anniversary, I made a large, ceramic beer bottle
containing drawings of scenes from their lives.
My new cover design for Edy Poppys book Anatomy. Monotony, is made of images from
this bottle.
Since Norway’s biggest newspaper, VG, mistook me for being Edy Poppy, I printed a picture of
myself above the presentation of the writer – which text also could represent both me and Edy.
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k at ja h en tsc h el
d e a r ed y,
my friend drea gave me your book for christmas and mentioned this contest with it.
i read your book within 2 days and i believe it gave me some of the same feelings i have
looking at the photo i chose for my book cover proposal.
and i agree, the german title speaks an entirely different language than the book itself does.
i hope you like it.
best wishes,
katja hentschel
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L ar s K jem phol
A b o u t Li fe .
I did not really know what to do. Where to take this. If i could have done it again, it would
have been different… maybe. Yes… I guess it would have come out differently somehow...
The front cover was something I was quite uncertain about how to make. In Germany this
book got the title ”die handen der Cellisten.” I like the original title Anatomi. Monotoni
better. It is more open, and way less of a cliché. Anyhow… I ended up using the German title,
drawing som cello-playing hands, turning them upside down to give them a little tuch of
duality, and spraying them over a pair of pale blue eyes.
The backcover is composed from the titles of the chapters.
I cut them out, scrambled them up, and combined them randomly to see if this could
somehow give an impression of the mood in the book, and some hints to the story without
summing up the plot from A to L.
Did it work?
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Fed er ico Sa bat i n i
I n t he cov er o f Anatomy Monotony, he has focused on the profound
consciousness of the female main character, which also mirrors her profound feelings.
He has chosen to blindfold her in order to suggest her poetic ability to see through what
William Blake called the “third eye” of poetry. The female portrait, having also a doll-like
expression, emphasizes the peculiar kind of autobiography in Anatomy Monotony, i.e the
constant shift between Var and her mask-like alter ego Raghnild (and vice-versa) within
the same literary and perceptual discourse.
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L ar s M o r ell
so m e wo r ds a b o u t t h e cover : This is how it should have looked like, but I
would have bought it no matter how it was designed.
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Lee C l o u gh
cov er i n g
the book is completely covered
its words hidden
uncovering
yet its meaning still exists
its intimate layers are both seen and unseen
The self-portrait painting, They Were Half Right, November 2007 reproduced for
the book cover, is currently being purchased
by Jeppe Hein.
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M at eo V ena nc i o
Das erotisch blonde Virus
Lieber Leser , seien Sie unbesorgt, dieser Roman ist nicht für Kinder bestimmt – Sie
werden mitgenommen und wirklich eintauchen in die Welt der Edy Poppy.
Ist dieser norwegische Bestseller gelebt oder Fantasie?
Niemand weiß es. Wer ist sie? Wo lebt sie? Was macht sie?
Es ist das Geheimnis eben dieser jungen skandinavischen Schriftstellerin.
In diesem ihrem ersten Roman enthüllt sie uns ihre erotische Welt mit einer mit
Leidenschaft erfüllten, feuchten, femininen Feder.
Sie entblösst sich uns nach und nach mit jedem Wort – ihren Körper und ihr Herz zu
dieser Kind- Frau.
Vorsicht also, denn es handelt sich nicht nur um Literatur. Sie öffnen dieses Buch, und
dringen ein in einem Abenteuer von Edy Poppy –
das erotische blonde Virus.
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M aya Ø k l an d
Anatomy. Monotony
H av i n g r e a d t h e b o o k I can understand why Edy Poppy did not feel content
with the German book cover. By changing the title and illustration, and defining it as an
erotic novel the publishing house disarms her work from its subversive subject matter.
Labeling it ”erotic” the publishing house is implying that the intention of her book
is ”tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement” whereas the way I see it, Anatomy.
Monotony investigates love and sex as a dichonomy, and most of all that hurts. We follow
a couple who transcends our Western Christian traditional conceptions of marriage by
outlining their own rules of devotion. The sex itself becomes secondary as a mere tool
for challenging and revolting against their mutual addiction of one another, but at the
same time also is what reunites them. For me, the sexual desire in the book was overruled
by problematic emotional dilemmas. I was challenged to rethink my notion of intimate
relationships, and I found it quite painful. With that in mind, I wanted the cover to
illustrate the thin line between love and hate. We see a couple that is either about to kiss,
or to be strangeled. The image is censored by a thick black pen that filters out the action,
leaving only the hand, and subtly outlines a black heart. I want the cover to communicate
uncontrollable feelings such as love, hate, jealousy, desire, and ambiguity.
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2AGNHILD-OE
In it i a lly the covers are stills from a video “Tick Tack” that was made for this project.
!NATOMIE-ONOTONIE
The book has an extensive soundtrack and refers to bands and tunes throughout the text.
A record player plays the book, but the only soundtrack it produces is the analogue hiss
from the record players amp. The book is spinning like a carousel around when pressed on
and played.
One often played this game with the knife and the hand as a child, usually with an
audience of cheering classmates, exploring a range of issues between dare, pain, courage,
and foolishness. However, it was a harmless game if one got it right, but one seldom did.
2AGNHILD-OE!NATOMIE-ONOTONIE
2AGNHILD-OE!NATOMIE-ONOTONIE
rik k e lu n d gren
2AGNHILD-OE
!NATOMIE-ONOTONIE
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su lin g an na gy r
D e a r Ed y,
I sent the book yesterday – so I assume it should def. be with you by friday. I hope it comes
in one piece... and not all smashed up – I drew a page in my sketch book and just tore it
out. Since I had not much time and needed to read the book first – I am still not finished,
I thought it is better to do ‘honest’ work in process rather than try to do something which
is contrived...
So the drawing is very much what I felt about you and your journey – I did several other
ones too before I did this one – but this one seemed the most acurate.
What I would say about this book: ‘where should I start. Edy’s book describes the dilemma
we all feel but do not all dare to exercise.’Should I or should I not’ – the game with
emotions is a dangerous one. It is though the only one which gives us real reward. And
loss. Edy’s book is a testimony of the state and wellbeing of a player in such a game of life;
anticipating to feel every second, every moment and suffer it, feel it, love it.
Masochism in its extreme as well as childlike artistry, curiosity from which we alienate
ourselves more and more as we go through life.I have been there once in my life so far - this
realm of superior sensations, hightened awareness – as if all senses are on drugs – as if you
are living in an other consciousness. I want to go back but I don’t dare. Edy’s book forced
me to remember that time. That feeling, which I can not describe, but which I think this
book sums up marvelously and I am greatful for that’
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Sus e Sc h an d elm a i er
vo i l à , m y i n t er p r etat i o n :
first I wanted to give Edy her writing-name back and also I think the author should
make the title.
I felt like some mixed-media solution: a handcrafted illustration together with some
classical typeface. I was scouring for beauty in imperfections. The result: a fragile and at
the same time strong drawing of a gorgeous woman together with the very old
(16th century) and my absolute favourite font: Garamond.
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åd el o .
Whitewashed – 2008
T h is b o o k wa s l au n d er ed by a German publishing house more concerned
with financial profits rather than genuine artistic values.
Exhibits A, B, C and D were found in a washing machine.
The author has since been cleared of the charges laid against her.
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t h io n
Sanft und Süss
Anatomy. Monotony
I n st e a d of t ry i ng to r esto r e the book’s integrity and dignity of which
it was robbed by the publisher’s kiosk- like packaging, the London-based artist Thion
employs irony to voice his opposition, debasing the book even more by turning into an
everyday consumer object to be found on a supermarket shelf.
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to m m y j o h a nsson :
Die Hände des Mahlers
A n yway : T he t i t le o f t h e wo r k is “Die Hände des Mahlers”. Your book is
also hand painted. By my hands. Sorry. The cover asked for it. If not also the content. And
the colour equals the paper inside the book, without the print, without type.
I see my newer artworks as a kind of books or pages of a book (indeed, this is probably why
I got the kick to make a submission). The artwork is yet again placed in a literary regime of
explanations, rejections and theories of theories. On the other hand, the book is betrayed
and dissolved by the fucked up visual practices of the mass culture. I must admit to be
guilty of barking at the screens; quarreling with the commercials, protesting against the
bad rhetorics, against the stinking arguments, against the semi-clothed women, because
they are ugly AND because they are lovely, against the deafening journalism, against
facebook, spray and match.com. Poor world. Or poor me, and poor wife.
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to n e emblem svåg
Bambitomi
I n m y i n t er p r etat i o n of the cover I have replaced the character in the original
book cover with the Disney Character Bambi, the little white tailed deer that has to go
trough some challenges as he grows up. The young deer hailed as the ‘Prince of the Forest’
at his birth grows, makes friends with the other animals of the forest, learns the skills
needed to survive, and even finds love. But he also finds himself lost out on the slipperey
Ice. I guess in a parallell world, Vår could be like Bambi.
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ulf krist i ansen
Hell o!
I hereby humbly submit my alternative book-cover. If you want me to send my submission
per snail-mail please tell me so.
K i n d r eg a r ds
Ulf Kristiansen
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v i b ek e lu t her
Anatomi. Monotoni.
I h av e fr eely i n t er p r et ed the content of the novel “Anatomi Monotoni”
through a flipbook and a short piece of animation.
Rather than focusing on the book’s cover I chose to focus on the context, where a story
being hinted at rather than told. The approach taken is expressed through two characters
dancing, whose movements never meet or correspond among them as a dancing couple.
I wanted to create a story within the story, where there is no beginning or end in the actual
movements, but rather a continuous loop or cycle where tension is highlighted rather than
the interplay.
As being a painter and animator this approach seemed and felt the most natural to me. I
want the viewer to engage in the work, stress the physical aspect of the book at the same
time as pushing the boundaries of a book into moving image.
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ø yst ei n v i d n es :
Das Cello des Cellisten
& Der Schnurrbart des Radlers
R ecov er i n g.
ragnhild moe
das cello
des cellisten
RAGNHILD MOE
der schnurrbart
des radlers
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M a rcus Pa lmqvist
I llust r at i n g t he ch a pt er “The Pain Caused by Lili Brick”
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s an d r a vak a
She licked her finger and put it up in the air,
which way did the wind blow? Her intuition
and and curiosity is holding her relation and
her life on a wiggling construction of wood,
exactly making it balance. Its an act of art.
& There is no cover only content
A cov er , a prot ect ive hideway for the book, – the words, – the content.
I wanted in my to works to go into the words itself. Like a physical action, to penetrate the
book.
In ”There is no cover only content”, the corners are folded to make a sculpture of the book:
A sculpture made of slow and concentrated reading.
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An drew McCor m ac k
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an ita wer nst rö m
What do I imagine Erotica to look like?
I h av e d eci d ed to cr eat e a s li p for Edy Poppy’s original book cover of the
Norwegian copy of Anatomi. Monatomi.
In a ridiculous act of embracing the book in leather by stitching and pulling, turning it
into something bodily, I fetishised the object in the same way the human body is fetishised
in Pornography. My inspiration derives from the erect nipple that the German publisher
selected to dress the book with, in order to please the ‘German Sensibility’.
The leather slip has a small pocket where the original cover can be seen underneath. If one
lifts the leather pocket and ‘peeps in’, one can explore the hand and the head of the author’s
body.
This is my response to the journey that Anatomi. Monotomi has undertaken—from the
Norwegian Novel to the German Erotica, transforming us all in to peeping Toms.
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A n na Da n i ell
kunst
kun
st meg her og kunst meg der.
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