ArtistDean Kessmann
Detail #3-10 (Bigelow Earl Grey Tea)
Date2016
MediumUnique archival pigment print
DimensionsEach: 33 1/2 × 23 in. (85.1 × 58.4 cm)
Framed Size (Each): 38 × 27 1/2 in. (96.5 × 69.9 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2017.028.1a-h
ClassificationsPrints
Locations
- Department of Behavioral Health (64 New York Avenue NE)
DescriptionThese prints come from a series titled Utilitarian Abstraction, which was inspired by Dean Kessmann’s experience breaking down cardboard boxes to be placed into the recycling bin. In doing so, he noticed the printer codes often hidden from sight on the box flaps and chose to magnify these signs of consumerism into unique prints. The resulting abstractions are not readily recognized for what they are, but they gesture toward the association between fine art and consumerism while emphasizing the minor imperfections and the tactile nature of ink-stained paper products in a digital age.
