N° 2300
An artists' book entitled Sod & Sodie Socks was
created by Mike Kelley and Paul McCarthy during an exhibition the
two American artists mounted in the Vienna Secession in 1998.
This book documents the installation, video works, performances and
realization of the Sod & Sodie Socks exhibition in a
series of loosely arranged scenes. Sad Sack is an American
children's cartoon figure that reflects everyday life in the army.
The book deals with the power play of the US Army with the aid of
Sad Sack and associations with Georges Bataille, Wilhelm Reich and
Clement Greenberg. The illusory nature of this power play is
undermined by a calculated flaunting of conventions, whilst
numerous cultural and theoretical allusions and references are
integrated in a precisely arranged series of images.
More info is archived at the Secession website, here, where you can also order the book.
Lawson Park Electronic Library is a Guestroom project for Grizedale Arts, designed and built by Dorian Moore