Ed Ruscha “Rusty Signs”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rusty Signs by Ed Ruscha
 
The Mixografia Workshop is pleased to present a new suite of prints by Ed Ruscha.The group of prints, which are set to total six, are further expressions of a consistent theme that runs throughout his work: the passage of time. Once again filtered through the language of common American objects, the prints appear to be rusted signs that read “DEAD END,” “CASH FOR TOOLS,” and “FOR SALE 17 ACRES.” Ruscha has chosen to produce multiple variations of each sign, giving the impression that they have been weathered by time in varying ways, as if they came from different locations or were subjected to a different set of circumstances. Some have gunshots and some are missing sections, while others have acquired thick layers of rust and grime. In this way, each seems to contain an independent story, their histories, though only implied, having literally formed their present state. And yet we are confronted with simply the physical effect of time upon them, a blunt reminder of its inescapability, even on steel. The project also marks a transformation of some of Ruscha’s aesthetic concerns; having painted and photographed signs and signage throughout his career, this suite of prints signifies the first time in which he is not merely representing the image of the sign, but actually recreating the sign itself. No longer do we see a fictionalized representation (e.g. the Hollywood sign ablaze), or a limited one (the carefully cropped photos of Some Los Angeles Apartments), but we actually see the sign itself, and its physicality is a part of its essence. At the same time, having been removed from context, they still share the sense of disconnection that permeates many of his depictions of signs. Ruscha asks us to consider these components of visual culture as independent objects, as if their introduction into the world was not merely an accident or result of inevitable forces, but an act of creation, a work of art.