AUTOCONSTRUCCIÒN: THE BOOK, by Abraham Cruzvillegas, with essays by Clara Kim, Mark Godfrey, Jimmie Durham and Ryan Inouye

REDCAT, 2009, First edition, 230 pp., 8 1/4" X 11 1/4", Hardcover

Near fine

Published on the occasion of the artist's first major exhibition, this volume explores the rich terrain of Abraham Cruzvillegas's work over the past decade, rooting his sculptural language in the volcanic landscape of his childhood home of Ajusco, Mexico. The publication delves into Cruzvillegas's interest in self-construction, a method of construction born out of the constraints of poverty, in which parts are recycled and adapted for new purposes. Developed in collaboration with the artist, the volume presents five essays examining self-construction through the lens of art history, politics, architecture, and urban migration in 1960s Mexico. In addition to these texts, the publication includes sculptures by Cruzvillegas, snapshots of Ajusco, Mexico, taken by the artist, archival images of Ajusco from the Cruzvillegas Fuentes family album, titles that inform and inspire the artist's thinking about self-construction, silkscreened posters from Latin American liberation movements, and the artist's index of concepts and song lyrics written as allegories of his childhood.

Uncommon