Point Blank
Kendell Geers
2004
Point Blank
Point Blank
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Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a ...
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Point Blank
Kendell Geers
2004
Ghent: Imschoot, uitgevers
Blank book: offset-printed pages, gunshot perforations, gunpowder residue
21 × 15 cm
Edition of 1,000; signed

Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a performance staged in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, Geers literally rewrote the story of his life: he abandoned his given names, Jacobus Hermanus Pieter, in favour of Kendall, and changed his date of birth to May 1968. In doing so, he severed his biographical connection to his origins, particularly to his father, whom he associated with colonialism, apartheid, and right-wing politics. Throughout his practice, life and work become intertwined in powerful acts of détournement, through which he explores violence, sex, fear, terror, and social and political anxiety across different media and forms.


 


For this visceral project, Geers subjected every copy of the edition to gunfire, firing six or seven rounds through each book at close range before its release. The resulting scorch marks and punctures make the title “Point Blank” literal: it refers both to the work’s subject matter and to the act performed upon its physical form. Devoid of text or imagery, the book bears traces of gunpowder, exposing the wounds and the residue of an act of violence.

Ghent: Imschoot, uitgevers
Blank book: offset-printed pages, gunshot perforations, gunpowder residue
21 × 15 cm
Edition of 1,000; signed

Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a performance staged in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, Geers literally rewrote the story of his life: he abandoned his given names, Jacobus Hermanus Pieter, in favour of Kendall, and changed his date of birth to May 1968. In doing so, he severed his biographical connection to his origins, particularly to his father, whom he associated with colonialism, apartheid, and right-wing politics. Throughout his practice, life and work become intertwined in powerful acts of détournement, through which he explores violence, sex, fear, terror, and social and political anxiety across different media and forms.

 

For this visceral project, Geers subjected every copy of the edition to gunfire, firing six or seven rounds through each book at close range before its release. The resulting scorch marks and punctures make the title “Point Blank” literal: it refers both to the work’s subject matter and to the act performed upon its physical form. Devoid of text or imagery, the book bears traces of gunpowder, exposing the wounds and the residue of an act of violence.

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Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a performance staged in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, Geers literally rewrote the story of his life: he abandoned his given names, Jacobus Hermanus Pieter, in favour of Kendall, and changed his date of birth to May 1968. In doing so, he severed his biographical connection to his origins, particularly to his father, whom he associated with colonialism, apartheid, and right-wing politics. Throughout his practice, life and work become intertwined in powerful acts of détournement, through which he explores violence, sex, fear, terror, and social and political anxiety across different media and forms.

 

For this visceral project, Geers subjected every copy of the edition to gunfire, firing six or seven rounds through each book at close range before its release. The resulting scorch marks and punctures make the title “Point Blank” literal: it refers both to the work’s subject matter and to the act performed upon its physical form. Devoid of text or imagery, the book bears traces of gunpowder, exposing the wounds and the residue of an act of violence.

Ghent: Imschoot, uitgevers
Blank book: offset-printed pages, gunshot perforations, gunpowder residue
21 × 15 cm
Edition of 1,000; signed

Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a performance staged in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, Geers literally rewrote the story of his life: he abandoned his given names, Jacobus Hermanus Pieter, in favour of Kendall, and changed his date of birth to May 1968. In doing so, he severed his biographical connection to his origins, particularly to his father, whom he associated with colonialism, apartheid, and right-wing politics. Throughout his practice, life and work become intertwined in powerful acts of détournement, through which he explores violence, sex, fear, terror, and social and political anxiety across different media and forms.

 

For this visceral project, Geers subjected every copy of the edition to gunfire, firing six or seven rounds through each book at close range before its release. The resulting scorch marks and punctures make the title “Point Blank” literal: it refers both to the work’s subject matter and to the act performed upon its physical form. Devoid of text or imagery, the book bears traces of gunpowder, exposing the wounds and the residue of an act of violence.

MORE BOOKS

Kendall Geers is an undoubtedly unique artist whose practice confronts not only the political injustices of his native South Africa but also the fractures and inconsistencies of the art system itself. In 1993, in a performance staged in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, Geers literally rewrote the story of his life: he abandoned his given names, Jacobus Hermanus Pieter, in favour of Kendall, and changed his date of birth to May 1968. In doing so, he severed his biographical connection to his origins, particularly to his father, whom he associated with colonialism, apartheid, and right-wing politics. Throughout his practice, life and work become intertwined in powerful acts of détournement, through which he explores violence, sex, fear, terror, and social and political anxiety across different media and forms.

 

For this visceral project, Geers subjected every copy of the edition to gunfire, firing six or seven rounds through each book at close range before its release. The resulting scorch marks and punctures make the title “Point Blank” literal: it refers both to the work’s subject matter and to the act performed upon its physical form. Devoid of text or imagery, the book bears traces of gunpowder, exposing the wounds and the residue of an act of violence.

MORE BOOKS