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An exquisite corpse book is a collaborative project where each person makes an artistic contribution—a drawing, a print—to the final product. No one knows quite how it will turn out until it is put together.
The exquisite corpse idea began as a surrealist wordplay, each player adding one word to complete a sentence with unexpected results. The artists’ version of the exquisite corpse works on the same principle with each artist adding an element.
Here’s one common bookmaking adaptation of the exquisite corpse: Take a set of prints of the same size that depict two human figures. Cut the prints vertically to separate the figures. Then cut them horizontally into thirds—head, torso, and legs. By turning these body segments, you can mix and match the parts of the “exquisite corpse” to create unique bodies. The number of combinations is staggering!
For more information about exquisite corpses, click here.
b. 1958, United States
Kim Berman
b. 1960, South Africa
Emandulo Re-Creation (detail)
Johannesburg, South Africa: Artist Proof Studio, 1997
Edition 6/30
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, museum purchase, 98-1-1
In Emandulo Re-Creation, 22 artists each made a print of two people on the theme of creation. (Emandulo means creation in Zulu.) Each print was cut vertically to separate the two figures, then horizontally, to create six parts.
Now we can flip the body segments into any configuration. By mixing and matching the two human figures you can create your own new pair. Does this sound gruesome? Here it is playful. An exquisite corpse.
For more information about Emandulo Re-Creation, click here.
