The featured books for April — the final selection for the Spring ‘22 semester — are “Twentysix Gasoline Stations” by Michalis Pichler, “A Field Guide to Weeds” by Kim Beck, and “Do It” from Independent Curators Incorporated. Pichler’s book is a homage to Ed Ruscha, the artist who is often credited with launching the field of contemporary artist’s books in the 1960’s. Despite the title there are only 16 gas stations depicted in Pichler’s book, which are all from the same German chain of stores, with the remaining 10 represented by a quote from Ed Ruscha. Kim Beck’s book is the perfect artist’s book to usher in spring. Although the title and form of the book suggest a useful guide, what one finds inside is both the beauty and the tenaciousness of weeds, all sprouting from the gutter of the book itself. Lastly, the book “Do It” is a set of short instructions from 50 artists for artworks that you can do yourself. Inspired by conceptual art, these instructions challenge the idea of the author while opening up multitudes of interpretation. Come by and try a few for yourself!
The Bookforms Library, located in room 7061 of the Fine Arts Center, is a non-circulating library that is open to all on the last Friday of each month from 12–2:30 p.m. during the semester, or by appointment (khaas@wsu.edu).
