Paris: Multiplicata, 1973. One of 500 copies. [24]pp. Oblong wraps (5-1/4 x 8-1/4 in). Near fine, with mildly toned covers. Signed by Acconci to recto of penultimate leaf.
Early artist's book by Vito Acconci (1940-2017); a series of reproduced holograph texts in which he addresses his dying mother and expresses his desperate wish to keep her alive. Each spread accompanied by a thumbnail-sized black-and-white photograph of his mother and a typed French summary of the text, in third-person and strangely denuded of emotion. A poignant work exploring not just anticipatory grief but also the limits of communication—both between Acconci and his mother, and across the gulf of language.
