Signs of the Apocalypse or Rapture is a curatorial survey of a pivotal moment in contemporary artistic theory and practice. This timely volume features a comprehensive section of writings and essays on the notion of end times—including interviews from a special episode of National Public Radio’s “Worldview” devoted to the topic; a gallery of diverse and engaging visual imagery—with contributions from over sixty artists, including such well-respected contemporary figures as Bill Viola, Julie Mehretu, Ed Ruscha, Richard Misrach, Fred Tomaselli, Nina Bovasso, and others, each of whom contributes a single image featured on a two-page spread; and two audio CDs—featuring eighteen sound artists, including Sonic Youth—with accompanying liner notes and an introduction from the editors. Cleverly expanding on the duality of the title’s possibilities—hopeful beacons for the future or the indication that things are heading amiss—the book offers a provocative take on the contemporary trend towards apocalyptic and rapturous art, thought, and sound. A collector’s item for anyone drawn to the hybridized world of visual and critical culture, Signsof the Apocalypse or Rapture is a cutting-edge look at art in practice.

Signs of the Apocalypse/ Rapture

Arts & Photography

Front Forty Press

History & Criticism

Front Forty Pr

Graffitecture is an exploration of what happens when graffiti, a highly innovative, wholly original art form rooted in urban culture, both clashes and commingles with the built environment. It is an essential publication for anyone interested in learning more about graffiti and its influence on art, graphic design, typography, popular culture, and communication. Photographer and Graffitecture editor Doug Fogelson invited more than 40 prolific Chicago graffiti artists to manipulate over 60 of his photographs. The images depict interiors and exteriors of diverse, high-end spaces such as homes, hotels, office buildings, and stores (as well some of the more traditional places where graffiti occurs). In doing so artists were asked, “What would YOU do here”? The Chicago based artists (include provocative figures such as the X-Men, Jeff Zimmerman, Chris Silva, Fact, Gusher, Michael Genovese, Sketcherone, Merdok and many others) manipulated the prints any way they saw fit. The results range from a pen-and-ink subway train riding through an office building lobby to a colorful, futuristic mural splashed on the screen at an empty home movie theater. Graffitecture also examines graffiti’s artistic and cultural significance through four essays written by Illinois-based professors and artists. John Jennings, a graphic design and urban studies professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ponders mainstream society’s appropriation of graffiti’s unique typography. Bridgette R. McCullough, an art historian, Manet scholar, and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, compares modern-day graffiti to abstract art. Another Art Institute professor, furniture designer/artist/curator Bridgette Buckley, examines the symbiotic relationship between “architecture and illicit painting”. Tim Hartford, president of Hartford Design, ponders the very meaning of graffiti and its place in history. The collaborative images are presented in a full-color gallery while the essays are presented with Fogelson’s black-and-white aerial panoramas of Chicago’s landmarks and skyline. Designed by Dan De Los Monteros and David Castillo

Graffitecture: Chicago Graffiti Artists Attack Photographic Spaces

Architecture

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Books by Front Forty Pr

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Front Forty Pr publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Signs of the Apocalypse/ Rapture

Graffitecture: Chicago Graffiti Artists Attack Photographic Spaces