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De Middel, Cristina : Party

RM/Archive Of Modern Conflict, London, England, 2013

ISBN 8415118678

First Edition / First Printing. As New in No Dust Jacket, As Issued. 200 pages. Artist Book. Limited Edition of 1715 copies, as stated. This October 2013 First Edition sold out before publication and is now rare. A brilliant production by Cristina De Middel: Small-size volume format, a neat pocket book that fits in the palm of your hand. The "Little Red Book" ("Quitonasto form Chanmair Mao Tungsest", or "Quotations from Chairman Mao Tsetung" rendered in scrambled letters for copyright protection) produced as a facsimile of the original pocket book, with red plastic covers and gilt titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Text by Chairman Mao, selected and reproduced (in English translation) by Cristina De Middel. Photographs by Cristina De Middel. They are inserted between pages, tipped-in at the spine rather than on the page. Printed on archival stock paper in Spain to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents Cristina De Middel's "Party". Her Artist Book rendition of The Little Red Book. "A portrait of present-day China modeled on Mao Tse Tung's Red Book. De Middel uses the structure of Mao's book (as well as its iconic design) to create a photo-narrative interspersed with adapted quotations from Mao" (Publisher's blurb). "I decided to adapt this historic political statement by censoring and hiding the parts of the text that are no longer in force and highlighting some other re-designed sentences that, for me, form a more accurate portrait of the People's Republic of China in the 21st century" (Cristina De Middel). For De Middel, the Chinese Communist Party's greatest failing may be that it put too much emphasis on "Communist" (that is to say, discipline, order, and punishment) and not enough on "party" (that is to say, celebration, euphoria, and happiness). She proposes to re-write Chinese history by adapting Chairman Mao's vision to contemporary China's "market-driven", more open, and perhaps happier society. All of Cristina De Middel's Artist Books are tender, loving yet unflinching re-imaginations of nationalist, immigrant-internationalist, and all other utopian dreams, "The Afronauts" (2012) being her most beautiful realization. Although we may find her Artist Books funny and parodistic, they are, strictly speaking, neither humor nor parody. They are, instead, ironic yet serious at the same time: Cristina De Middel celebrates the greatest ideas and ideals, however imperfect, that people everywhere believe in, live by, and if necessary, are also willing to die for: Nationalism (nation/states that people now identify with as the very essence of their being, whether they be American, Jewish, or Zambian), the United Nations (the most abstract and unrealizable of ideals), and socially conscious, humane societies. Hers is a hopeful vision rather than a nihilistic or skeptical one, and as such, is very rare indeed among all-knowing contemporary artists. An absolute "must-have" title for Cristina De Middel collectors. This copy is one of the Limited Edition of 1715 copies, indicated as such on the Copyright Page (October 2013 Edition). It is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen by Cristina De Middel. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a great Artist Book. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy of the Limited Edition available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly populated with color plates. Cristina De Middel's "The Afronauts" is widely regarded as one of the greatest photography books of our time. One of the most brilliant artist/photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER CRISTINA DE MIDDEL TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 8415118678.

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