The Making of “Tabula Rasa” and “Face/Surface”

Jun 14

On the occasion of Tabula Rasa at Paula Cooper Gallery we are pleased to share behind-the-scenes photographs from the making of two important works in the exhibition. Face/Surface (1976) is a text-based work made by Charlesworth in collaboration with Joseph Kosuth. Tabula Rasa (1981) is a photo silkscreen edition of four unique prints by Sarah Charlesworth.

Face/Surface

Charlesworth and Kosuth produced Face/Surface while working on their theoretical journal The Fox (1975-76) and it reiterates that publication's discussion of new modes of collaborative art making in contemporary society. Composed of nine posters directly wheat-pasted to the wall, the work was first exhibited at Galerie Durand-Dessert, Paris, in 1976. Durand-Dessert published a French language version in an edition of 100. The version installed in Tabula Rasa at Paula Cooper Gallery in 2024 is the first printing of the work in English.

Tabula Rasa

Sarah Charlesworth, Tabula Rasa, 1981, white on white silkscreen print on paper, 66 1/2 x 92 1/2 in. (168.9 x 235 cm). © The Estate of Sarah Charlesworth. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York.