Thursday, February 9, 2023

Micah Lexier & Jon Sasaki | The Sweetest Little Thing















For as long as I can remember, the Struts/Owens Art Gallery fundraiser The Sweetest Little Thing has mailed small masonite boards to artists who have had a previous relationship with the gallery. The idea was that they would use the board as a canvas and contribute a small artwork to be auctioned off at the Valentine's Day gala (see post from Tuesday). 

For over a decade Jon Sasaki and Micah Lexier have combined their boards for a collaborative work, involving simple conceptual gestures or material play. Above are all but one, which apparently didn't get documented. They are unique works that incorporate some of the language of the multiple. Both of their practices involve the publication of editions and multiples, and Micah teaches a course of the subject at the University of Toronto. 

My favorite is the year where Micah served Jon banana bread from his board and Jon slept with Micah's board under his pillow for three weeks. 

Eventually artists strayed from the limitations of the board and now submit works around the same size. To save waste and shipping costs the gallery no longer automatically mails them out, though they can be requested. But Lexier and Sasaki remain committed to the format. "Micah and I are determined to keep the flame burning," Jon wrote me yesterday. 

The final image is "Big Money" from this year, which can be bid on here, until the evening of February 14th.




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