[NY]: Ida Applebroog, 1979-1980. 11 vols, each [20]pp; illus. Self-wraps. Two volumes with heavy irregular toning to covers; one with soft diagonal crease to textblock; else very good, mild toning to edges, an occasional crimped corner or small spot of soiling. All volumes dated in pencil in Applebroog's hand; final volume also signed by Applebroog.
Complete set of the self-published Dyspepsia Works series of artists' books by multidisciplinary American artist Ida Applebroog (1929-2023), each featuring brief texts (often no more than the title phrase) accompanied by one or two repeated images of seemingly fraught domestic scenes, seen through curtained windows. "The power of Applebroog's books lies in the fact that they imply narrative but never allow a resolution; the moment of crisis pictured is simply repeated over and over and over again, like a broken record, and is thus almost unbearably attenuated throughout the book" (Shelley Rice, writing in Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook, Visual Studies Workshop Press, 1985, p. 70).
Laid into the first volume of this set is a typed slip of paper, in which Applebroog introduces the project: "This book is the first in a series of eleven, which will be sent through the mail at regular intervals. All of these works relate to "performance"; that is, acting a part. As in my last series of books, these "performances" are then transformed into video, as probably the most ideal form for extending this concept." The titles, in order: Sure I'm Sure, But I Wasn't There, You'll See, Now Then, I Pretend to Know, Look At Me, The Sweet Smell of Sage, It Isn't True, You What?, I Feel Sorry for You, [Untitled/"The End"].
