Advertisement

Art Art & Books

Clever cut-up

Rating: NNNN


paul de guzman likes to dissect books, cutting out the guts and leaving them in a nice, orderly pile like a proud first-year physiology student. The books end up looking like modern buildings purged of their contents.De Guzman’s method is simple. He buys a thick art or architecture book (like those regularly churned out by Phaidon or Taschen) and reads it thoroughly. He then cuts a rectangle into the cover and begins carving out the insides, removing pictures and words with precise, regular cuts. He always uses right angles, and the leftover white space forms the pillars and beams of a very regular structure within the book. The cover becomes a decorated frame.

De Guzman collects the paper he has removed and piles it into a rectangle. Both the book and the pile are slipped into acrylic envelopes and are hung sparsely about the gallery.

Creating architecture from architecture books — a fascinating idea brilliantly executed.

Paul de Guzman at Robert Birch Gallery (241 King East) to March 22. 416-955-9410. Rating: NNNN

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.