Daditionary Series by Jason Filipow

Jason Filipow, whom we had previously interviewed here, recently releases a series of prints in which he calls the Dationary Series. Each print is a unique 1/1 edition inspired by re-appropriated Dada and Seditionary imagery and rhetoric. Jason goes on to explain that: “Each print is a challenging visual and conceptual balancing act between order and chaos; an ambiguous, but compelling, narrative without logic.”

The prints measure 18″ x 24″, are hand stamped on the back, and are priced at $25 apiece. They are available in Jason’s online shop. Jason also lended some interesting insight as to why he stamps his prints on the back as oppose to signing them at the forums over on TheGiant.org: “I don’t really ‘believe’ in the whole artist’s signature thing (or the ‘magic’ of the artist’s hand); it seems somehow a little presumptuous to me. I have always been uncomfortable with it, and I believe it can be downright distracting visually. I think it’s more interesting (or challenging) to authenticate/symbolically complete the work through some removed, distanced or disinterested fashion. I am sure there are collectors/etc, that won’t ‘invest’ in work that’s not actually signed (read autographed), or that a signature adds ‘value’….blah.”

Wacky Print Wednesday #2

Audrey Kawasaki will be releasing a new print, entitled “Saying Goodbye” on Saturday August 22 at 3pm PST in her online store. The print measures 19″ x 22″, is has and edition of 200, and retails for $200 ($480 framed.)

After a bit of a break Shepard Fairey will release a new screenprint, “Close Knit”, this Thursday, the 20th, at a random time. The print measures 18″ x 24″ will cost $50 and sales will benefit the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

Jason Filipow still has some of his non representational screenprints available in his shop. These are made by pulling ink through a silkscreen without an stencil/ emulsion fixed to the screen, therefore producing unique 1/1 prints with each pass. The prints measure 18″ x 24″ and are priced at a very affordable $20.

One of my favorite artists, Sas Christian has a framed giclee on canvas entitled “Spun” available through Circus Posterus. The print itself is 8″ x 10″ and measures 12″ x 14″ framed, and costs $265.

Jason Filipow Interview

Former Studio Number One designer and current freelance designer/artist Jason Filipow was nice enough to answer a few of my questions concerning his art, process, and upcoming projects.

Bleached Rectangles
From Jason’s Nonrepresentational Photographs Series, silver gelatin prints and pushpins, 72″ x 100″, 1995.

You had posted on theGiant.org forums that the three components that makes good design are: homage, syntax, and appropriation. Could you please expound on this and how you use it in your own work?

I believe that those are the key ingredients that generally inform good work; homage, syntax and appropriation . I think all creative people unknowingly, or unconsciously, use some form of all three, most of the time.

Homage is simple; no matter what your craft or trade, you must learn the history of that medium. Nobody creates within a vacuum. It’s impossible not to be influenced by who or what has been achieved prior, so it’s wise to always start by looking at the work of others. You’ll undoubtedly get ideas from that process alone. I think Rauschenberg’s ‘Erased DeKooning’ of 1953 in an interesting and unusual example of homage.

Syntax, is more complex. As I define it, syntax describes the literal or empirical qualities inherent to any given medium. Just as photography has multiple syntaxes, so does painting. Even music has many syntaxes. John Cage’s ’4’33′ is a challenging interpretation of syntax, as it uses two primary elements of music; sound and silence, and those comprise the form of the work.

Appropriation is a slippery slope; the line between appropriation and inspiration is often very thin and sometimes, undefinable. Within our postmodern context, appropriation is process of recontextualizing the familiar. This is typically done with the intent to expose or reinterpret something that may be well seen without being well known. Duchamp’s infamous ‘Ready Mades’ are great examples of appropriation. His act of taking commonplace objects and re-presenting them within the context of an art exhibition blazed a trail for generations to follow.

On your blog you often post about various printmaking methods and how you draw inspiration from these mediums, What about these processes interests you and where else do you find inspiration?

I believe that the thread that remains constant in all of my personal work, regardless of the medium, is content. And more specifically, the compulsion to deconstruct. This is tied directly to my fascination with syntax. I am always curious to understand the processes and techniques of how a particular medium can directly impact, or alter, the inherent meaning of any work of art. Just as learning a new technique or a new process is inspiring, I also think that simple, raw materials can be inspiring, too. The mind is led to wander via imagination and that is always a challenging, and sometimes rewarding, place to operate.

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