In 1968, Bruce Nauman ripped out and set fire to Ed Ruscha’s iconic artist book “Various Small Fires and Milk”. Nauman photographed his pyrotechnic homage to form a new book – a publication in the form of a bound poster – titled “Burning Small Fires”, a piece of art in itself. Inspired by this performative activation of the conceptual art, Tiane Doan na Champassak chooses to incinerate Daisuke Yokota’s “Matter / Burn Out”, adding a new layer of interpretation to an editorial project that was already performative per se. Champassak’s reenactment is a conceptual conundrum and a “mise en abyme” made visible through both a video art piece and a poster-format publication available in two versions: a limited edition of 275 copies and a special edition of 25 numbered copies, with an original burnt scrap.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition BURNING MATTER (Giudecca, Venice, Italy) organized in concomitance with the 2022 Venice Biennale, featuring works by Roy Adzak, Bernard Aubertin, Barbara Kruger, The Guerrilla Art Action Group, John Latham, David Mayor, Jonathan Monk, Bruce Nauman, Ed Ruscha, Daisuke Yokota, and Tiane Doan na Champassak, among many others.

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1st edition, April 2022

Folded poster, offset printing, softcover

32 x 25 cm

Edition of 275 copies