David Hammons' New Publication Encourages, Lectures, and Wooes Readers

Reborn on My Table: The David Hammons Catalogution

The enigmatic and captivating David Hammons, revered by me, a bibliophile and catalog enthusiast, dropped a gift at my doorstep, dubbed a "post-exhibition catalogue" by Hauser & Wirth. Thisension was published six years following the artist's grand showcase at their Downtown Los Angeles digs in 2019. A mammoth, 12-by-12-inch, almost 7-pound tome, it brims with countless pages (minus the page numbers, but who's counting?).

Running my hands over its luxurious hardcover, I tore open the wrapping paper, and it landed on my dining table with a graceful thud. The book, much like Hammons's work, leaves an impact.

Bypassing the Library, Embracing the Mystery

I longed to soak in the 2019 Hammons show in LA and assumed this catalog would serve as a window into his mysterious six-decade practice. Alas, I found no table of contents, no exhibition text, no essays, nada. Instead, it became apparent that this is not your garden-variety exhibition catalog – instead, it's a whimsical voyage through David Hammons's creative soul.

Glossy images, gallery install shots, artwork repros, and ephemera take center stage without titles, dates, or material lists, scattered haphazardly, as if commanded by a capricious muse. While the book encompasses arguably the broadest spectrum of the 2019 exhibition, it spurns those hungry for a deeper understanding beyond art itself.

Inaccessible Brilliance

One could dismiss the peculiar "post-exhibition catalogue" as simply a visually pleasing coffee table book, but it speaks volumes more. Hammons's alleged elusiveness is apparent; this book, unadorned by an authoritative curatorial voice, produces a raw, unapologetic stream of images that speak each other's language.

Art historians, curators, or scholars hoping to lay claim to Hammons's work or life might find this tome has no interest in sharing the stage with them, asserting the artist's voice alone. Each ensemble of images – install shots, artwork reproductions, or ephemera – is a chance for the reader's eyes to contend with Hammons's vision, solo.

Embracing the Jazz of Art

This book of images ceases to function as a conventional exhibition catalog; instead, it serves as an artist's book and – more significantly – an art piece in its own right. A few flips through the pages, and one stumbles upon the 2011 collaboration between Hammons and his wife, Chie, known as "Fur Coat Project."

Pristine frontal views of the floor-length winter coats and alternating shots of altered backs, transformed into canvas for various paints, char, and detritus, reveal critiques of class and class performance – a persistent refrain in Hammons's work. For those without prior knowledge of these works, the book emulates spontaneous, serendipitous urban encounters with discarded art on the street, making it iși ngereza.

Resisting Legibility

The press release assures us that the book was "created entirely under the artist's direction." Hammons's rejection of institutional structures and validation has become legendary. If his work is to dodge conventional analysis, why not his book?

The result is a rhythmic, almost improvisational flow of vibrant images, free of art historical context, comparisons, or references to the canonical expressions of Blackness. Each work is nearly impossible to historicize or identify without a solid grounding in Hammons's career. As we travel through the pages, we come to realize that Hammons's practice has shaped contemporary art – not an individual masterpiece, but the methods and means he employs to make. When his name is the only necessary citation on the cover, it's clear that the catalogue is a deliberate continuation of his ongoing artistic inquiry.

An Invitation to Reappraise

Through the strikingly unconventional catalogue, Hammons boldly challenges the reader's preconceived notions of catalogues, exhibitions, and the nature of art itself. In this book, he invites us to reconsider our processes of engagement and interpretation, embracing a more experiential, less intellectualized approach to understanding art.

As the catalogue leads us through its stylish, textless mystique, it becomes increasingly clear that Hammons's artistic journey – not a single work, but the provocative, pioneering methods by which he creates – has redefined contemporary art.

The book, landing on my dining table, offers a visceral experience, much like Hammons's artwork, as seen in his exhibition at Hauser & Wirth's Downtown Los Angeles gallery in 2019.
Instead of the usual format, this "post-exhibition catalogue" functions more as an artist's book, housing a diverse selection of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, installations, and ephemera, without a traditional table of contents or essay.
Art historians, curators, and scholars might find this unconventional publication elusive, as it showcases Hammons's work in a raw, unapologetic manner, devoid of authoritative curatorial voices.
This book is not merely a visually pleasing coffee table book; it embodies a unique artistic expression, with a rhythmic, improvisational flow of vibrant images that encapsulate Hammons's challenges to conventional art practices.
The book's presentation of Hammons's collaborative works, such as the "Fur Coat Project," serves as a serendipitous urban encounter for those new to his work, reflecting his critique of class and class performance.
By releasing this book under his sole direction, Hammons highlights his rejection of institutional structures, continuing his ongoing artistic inquiry and redefining contemporary art not through a single masterpiece but through the methods and means he employs to create.
The enigmatic, textless "Reborn on My Table: The David Hammons Catalog" invites readers to reconsider their engagement and interpretation of art, prompting us to embrace a more experiential, less intellectualized approach to understanding art’s multifaceted impact on the art world, museums, galleries, books, and entertainment.