CONUNDRUM PRESS 20th ANNIV PARTY / EXPO / BOOK LAUNCH MAY 2016

20x20:

Twenty Years of

Conundrum Press

Montreal: Monastiraki, 5478 Boul. St Laurent

Saturday May 7 2016

4pm onwards. Free to all.

The Twenty Year Conundrum

This will be a month long art show (May 4-29) comprised of the originals

given to editor and pubisher Andy Brown over the years, featuring: Shary

Boyle, Sherwin Tjia, Nina Bunjevac, Dakota McFadzean, Marc Ngui, Yvette

Poorter, Simon Bosse, Richard Suicide, Philipe Girard, Pascal Girard, Claire

Seringhaus, Billy Mavreas, Joey Dubuc, Ian Sullivan Cant.

There will be all the Conundrum books for sale and many early out of print

treasures under glass. Come Saturday May 7 for the launch of the anthology

and Conundrum reunion party. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1599396703719489/

From The Archives - Pedagogical Literature

We manage to collect kids school books of various kinds and conditions.
If a book is in no shape to sell but is festooned with character, it is kept in the archives.
If a book is pristine but so awesome it couldn't possibly be let go, it is kept in the archives.
Here is an example of each.

The first book we'll look at is Magic Letters, a psychedelic romp through diverse style changes, watercolour, paper cut-out, clay illustration, etc.

 

Check out some of these spreads -

On a radically different note, Let's Learn To Spell is a staid grammar book, replete with exercises on constructing sentences and all that. Why we feature it here is for the arcane quality of it's symbols and the obvious connection between spelling words and casting spells (magic letters!). Also, some kid went to town on it and learned to spell.

This is a small fragment of our collection. Stay tuned for more thematic uploads.

Tara Slaughter Curatorial Projects @ Monastiraki

We here at Monastiraki have been thrilled to have Tara Slaughter acting as resident and guerrilla curator, going through our archives and collections and pulling together creative assemblages and whatnots, let alone helping us out with myriad matters at hand.
Below please find the projects Tara has been working on:

OLD + NEW

The first series of items include elements from the scrap box, where two bits only cost a dollar. The thread, if you’re looking for one: old meanings are neglected in hopes of constructing newer, increasingly foolish ones.  

Old and New

COMPLEMENTS OF THE SHOP 

Dr. Yves Benoist is, indeed, the centerpiece for this week’s curatorial project. The psychology publication, one that encourages the reader, “Master your life,” supplied the complementary colour palate.

A Small But Nevertheless Significant Sample Of Dolls

A collection of lonely, lovely dolls accompanied by their shadows.

Look at the dolls.



The Psychedelic Collection

The first completely archival project, this collection includes various paper ephemera of the psychedelic flavor.

 

The Psychedelic Collection

Round & Blue

Blue? Come in and buy something blue.
Own your sadness!
Hang it on the wall!
Show your blues who’s boss.

Round and Blue

Tara Slaughter

Artist Statement

Most of my work reflects an interest in disjointed thoughts and miscommunication. The pairing of text and images/objects lends itself to the difficulties I have when it comes to bridging the gap between thought and action, past and future. This gap can be a source of uneasiness or confusion. By accompanying images with text, especially when their relationship to one another is incoherent, I convey my inability to make sense of this break.

Bio

Born and raised in Great Falls, Montana, Tara Slaughter moved to Montreal in 2013. In 2012 she spent a summer interning at the Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, Oregon, where she was immersed in zine culture and letterpress. This sparked an interest in DIY culture.

At Monastiraki, a gallery/shop in Montreal, she engages in a self-directed curatorial study – selecting and photographing collections from the shop’s archives. These selections are then paired with short bits of text.

She is currently studying English literature at Concordia University.

The Psychedelic Collection

 

Tara Slaughter chose some items from Monastiraki's extensive psychedelic art collection

the-psychedelic-collection

COMPLEMENTS OF THE SHOP

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Dr. Yves Benoist is, indeed, the centerpiece for this week’s curatorial project. The psychology publication, one that encourages the reader, “Master your life,” supplied the complementary colour palate.

Beyond its kick-ass design and presumptive title, the publication encourages contemplation of both personal relationships and the future. “’L’ALCOOL ET VOUS” and “COMBIEN D’ANNEES VOUS RESTE-T-IL A VIVRE?” are some recommended sections. Benoist  closes by urging his patrons, “Choisir des AMIS SAINS, physiquement et moralement.” Just full of wisdom, this one. A treat, really. “POUR VIVRE LONGTEMPS, VIVRE LENTEMENT.”

Another gem in the complementary collection is “The Ladybird Book of British Wildflowers,” by Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald, with paintings by Rowland and Edith Hilder (brother and sister, husband and wife, coincidence?). While the book does a downright swell job of pointing out which wildflower is which, it can also serve as a spring of inspiration for parents who just can’t seem to find the right name for their child. My personal favorites include, but are not limited to, Purple Loosestrife, Germander Speedwell, Scarlet Pimpernel, and Heartsease Tansy.

“Citrate Magnesie”, or magnesium citrate, is a saline laxative, but you’d never guess at first glance.

Anyway, next time you drop in, ask yourself, “I NOSTRI TEMPI TURBOLENTI CHE COSA SIGNIFICANO?” Your answer will most likely be one of problem-solving capabilities: buy something to distract yourself from the real answer.

-Tara Slaughter

MONASTIRAKI CURATORIAL PROJECTS LAUNCHED

We are pleased to announce our new series of curatorial explorations wherein artists/writers/curators are invited to create projects based on our collections. This is the first offering :



 

OLD + NEW  (Misinterpretations and Reevaluations)

by Tara Slaughter

The first series of items include elements from the scrap box, where two bits only cost a dollar. The thread, if you’re looking for one: old meanings are neglected in hopes of constructing newer, increasingly foolish ones.  

Bio:

New to Montreal, hailing from Montana, fresh out of Oregon.

Currently interested in situating found objects in contexts that render them absurd, pathetic, or ridiculous.

Has been interested in the future (but now it’s stupid) and Antillean Giant Rice Rats (but now they’re extinct).