“A speculative catalog that shatters the classic genre of artist monograph and embraces interpretation and fiction as an elemental part of an artist's biography. The book has contributions in 6 languages (English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, French) and is a delight for all polyglot readers. For many years, the artist Axel Koschier has been collecting fill-in forms that became an autonomous part of his artistic work. Although still in use, these forms almost seem like historical artifacts of the way our personal information was collected in a pre-digital era. Axel Koschier filled out a large number of the forms and gave this personal information to 6 authors (Ayami Awazuhara, Beatrice Forchini, Sophie Lapalu, Julia Moebus, Cristina Ramirez and Victoria Wigzell) – none of whom knew the artist. Inspired by this data, the authors have written 6 autonomous texts in their native languages. A fictional portrait emerges, ranging from the artists's early childhood to his psyche. At the end there is not one artist Axel Koschier, but many of them. Of course, only the most polyglot among you can experience all facets of Axel Koschier.
About the artist: It remains to be investigated whether the artist Axel Koschier exists at all.
About the book: 368 pages thick and buttery soft. Printed on a smooth and tear proof paper. Made out of 100% pulp this paper is typically used for packaging and wrapping – and not for book printing. Its special feature is a cloudy transparency, which became an elementary part of the book, as all texts are printed in mirror image and can thus be read through the pages.“
A multilingual tome of complex and inventive construction dedicated to an artist who defies easy interpretations, interspersed with the texts are pictures of paper forms from various businesses and institutions lying on top of a colourful splattered-on piece of fabric.
Soft cover with flaps, 28 x 21 cm, 368 pages, (Vienna) 2022
ISBN: 978-3-903353-11-4
