DM: abbreviation for Direct Mail, the announcement medium used for exhibitions.
Last year I first compiled the article “DM of the Year 2018”, and to my surprise the response was substantial, so I decided to write it this year as well. This article is an award given to DMs whose distinctive presence surpasses their function as mere announcement tools — a feature introducing the wonderful DMs I encountered in 2019.
Over the course of a year, I stored the DMs that caught my eye in a dedicated box, and just now selected ten.
*This is a project shaped by the arbitrary preferences of this site’s editor-in-chief, so please forgive any objections or complaints.
Here I would like to take up ten distinctive DMs that came into my hands from exhibitions held in 2019 (in no particular order).
1) Naomi Okubo & Lulu Meng
The DM for the two-person exhibition “Real Fairy Tale” by Naomi Okubo and Lulu Meng.
Naomi Okubo + Lulu Meng “Real Fairy Tale” — photographed at the exhibition venue
The DM directly translates the exhibition’s theme of “mirrors” onto its own surface.
Stored in a PP sleeve.
So smooth that fingerprints seem to appear just from touching it.
2) Arisa Kumagai
A DM created by directly cutting out a section of the major work Single bed — the same size as a single bed — which also gave the solo exhibition its title.
The exhibition was wonderful, and sales, too, are said to have gone very well.
Arisa Kumagai “Single bed” GALLERY KOYANAGI A DM using the design of the work Single bed as is.
3) Teppei Takeda
The moment I picked up Teppei Takeda’s DM and saw his works at the gallery, I felt as though I was looking at a trompe l’oeil. The DM’s thickly-painted appearance was superbly betrayed by the difference from the actual work — captivating and fooling the viewer at once.
Teppei Takeda “Paintings of Painting” MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY
4) “WAVE 2019” 3331 Arts Chiyoda
The size, the thickness, the printing — this DM has costly elements in every dimension.
Whoever designed it — nice work!
WAVE 2019 @ 3331 Arts Chiyoda
5) Sosuke Ueta
TAKU SOMETANI GALLERY, which always sends inventive DMs.
The DM for Sosuke Ueta’s solo exhibition “(whereabouts of the) ANIMA” is, remarkably, a DM that toys with the eye using a lenticular lens.
Sosuke Ueta’s solo exhibition “(whereabouts of the) ANIMA”A sheet that is sparkling, beautiful, and fun.
6) Alfredo Jaar
The DM for Alfredo Jaar’s solo exhibition “Lament of the Images” is of a quality you could frame and display as is. Beautifully printed on heavy paper. Well done as always, SCAI!
Alfredo Jaar “Lament of the Images” SCAI THE BATHHOUSESCAI THE BATHHOUSE always uses heavy paper for their DMs — no expense spared.
Posters were also being given out for free at the venue.
7) Ayaka Yamamoto
The DM for Ayaka Yamamoto’s solo exhibition “organ” is personally my favorite.
The design converts imagery from her video work into monochrome for the DM.
Square and thick, with a design in which Yamamoto’s world seems to live on directly. Beautiful.
Ayaka Yamamoto “organ” void+
I kept it displayed in my room for some time. Thank you.
8) Chul-Hyun Ahn
On view at the booth of cosmetics brand “La Prairie” at Art Basel Hong Kong 2019 was Chul-Hyun Ahn, a Korean artist known for works that harness light, color, reflection, and optical illusion.
Though it was a sponsor tie-in, the DM itself is as lavish as the works.
A DM housed in a semi-transparent sleeve.Opening it reveals three circular works. *The reverse side carries the work descriptions.Installation view at Art Basel Hong Kong 2019
9) Narumi Sasaki
The DM for Narumi Sasaki’s exhibition held at LOKO GALLERY looks simple at first glance, but it artfully folds the solo show’s title together with the artwork into a single design. Achieving this kind of sensibility is, I think, no easy task.
Narumi Sasaki “・/♯ La la la la la la la la la la………. Do do do do do… Ah ah ah..”
10) Flyer of me[mé]
The last isn’t a DM, but I really wanted to include it — an honorable-mention entry.
I chose the flyer for me[mé]’s exhibition.
The front and back of this flyer show through each other, so you can enjoy it from both sides.
True to the exhibition’s concept, it is a “somehow undecipherable” flyer.
Is this the front, where the text is readable?The text side shows through. Reading “wakaranai” (I don’t get it) from the reverse — it invites deeper reading.
In closing
DMs that artists and galleries have thought through carefully do more than simply convey information — I believe they also carry a lasting appeal to be enjoyed after the exhibition ends, giving them a collectible quality.
Looking at a finished solo-show’s DM, the installation view of the venue sometimes comes back to mind. It is fun to mount them in a simple photo frame, and equally enjoyable to simply stick them on the wall with putty tack.
In 2020 many exhibitions will surely be held, and countless DMs will make their way into the world.
I look forward to a great many wonderful, surprising DMs next year as well.
A Seasons Greeting from Dan Isomura — a 2020 exhibition is scheduled at the Sezon Museum of Modern Art.
DM(直邮明信片)
2019 年也收到了大量 DM。
DM:展览开幕告知的媒介,即 Direct Mail 的缩写。
去年首次汇整的文章“DM Of The Year 2018”意外地反响热烈,今年也决定继续撰写。本文是颁给那些超越告知工具、展现独特存在感的 DM 的奖项,是一场介绍 2019 年遇见的精彩 DM的企划。
一年间,我将映入眼帘的 DM 保管于专用箱内,方才从中选出 10 张。
※本企划由本站主编独断且偏爱地推出,如有意见或投诉恳请见谅。
来自 Dan Isomura 的 Seasons Greeting — 2020 年将于 Sezon Museum of Modern Art 举办展览。
DM(다이렉트 메일)
2019년에도 많은 DM을 받았습니다.
DM: 전람회 개최 고지 매체, Direct Mail의 약칭.
지난해 처음으로 정리한 기사 “DM Of The Year 2018”이 의외로 반향이 커, 올해도 쓰기로 했습니다. 본 기사는 고지 도구를 뛰어넘어 독특한 존재감을 발휘한 DM에 부여하는 어워드이며, 2019년에 만난 훌륭한 DM을 소개하는 기획입니다.
1년간, 눈에 띈 DM을 전용 박스에 보관해 두었다가, 방금 10장을 골랐습니다.
※본 사이트 편집장의 독단과 편견에 의한 기획이므로, 이견이나 클레임 등은 양해 바랍니다.
