Vik MunizBesprekingen

Brazilian-born artist Vic Muniz, best known for recreating imagery from art history and pop culture using unexpected and everyday materials--chocolate syrup, disused computer parts and diamonds, to name just a few--preserves his socially and politically layered "drawings" in large-scale color photographs. Featured in some of the most important collections in the world from MoMA to the Metropolitan Museum and Tate Gallery, Munitz's audacious work and way of thinking to date is presented chronologically in this vividly designed boxed 2-volume catalogue raisonne. Comprised of over 1400 images, an introduction by independent curator Ligia Canongia and interview with Muniz by artist Luisa Duarte, each body of work is accompanied by an informative essay by the artist on his inspirations and methods. In an era when great art has become more familiar to us through photographs than by seeing the work itself, Muniz has created another context to define the familiar, his use of materials offering compelling political and social critique.

An American artist of Brazilian origin, Vik Muniz stands out as one of the most articulate and innovative artists of his generation, equally at home working with images of chocolate sauce, spaghetti marinara, or the detritus of hole punchers. In doing so, he has carved out a unique niche within contemporary photography: one of trickster and philosopher as well as the creator of compelling, delightful images.
Reflex: A Vik Muniz Primer is a privileged, guided tour of the contents of Muniz's pyrotechnic imagination, walking us through each of his major series. From Equivalents, his fluffy, sculpted cotton “clouds,” to his latest color work, Magazines, Muniz accompanies each series with in-depth writing that tickles our minds with amusing anecdotes detailing his inspiration for each; fascinates by revealing his methodology and working process; and enlightens by unveiling the thinking and historical influences behind each image.

Signed copy

‘The Weimar File’ is a previously unpublished work by visual artist Vik Muniz, best known for remaking famous artworks in materials other than paint and then photographing them. Having once been personally investigated by the Department of Homeland Security in New York, Muniz used the incident as inspiration for a series of hundreds of photos he made in Weimar, Germany. Perceived through a sheen of fear and suspicion, the images seemingly yearn for a balance between the banal and the spectacular, the deadly serious and the absurd. Fragments of visual evidence, they raise questions of what new meanings such images take on when they are removed from their context.

In this book, artist Vik Muniz describes his artistic process, which involves using a variety of unexpected materials (including peanut butter, jelly, sugar, sand, and even garbage from a landfill) to create portraits of individuals and to re-create masterpieces from throughout art history. Muniz's writes in a way that is completely child-friendly and accessible. He introduces children to the process of creating art, many works of fine art, art appreciation, and the power of art to transform lives. The book itself is practically a work of art, with flaps and foldouts that expose more information and additional illustrations. The illustrations are primarily Muniz's artistic photographs, but some are also reproductions of the original works he is re-creating thus allowing children to make a comparison between the two. Back matter includes a timeline of Muniz's life, a variety of recommended resources (including art museums, books, films, etc.), a glossary, a detailed list of illustrations, and an index.