Agoraphobia by Austin Kleon

Sometimes we say more by saying less. It's communication by subtraction, and artist and writer Austin Kleon is a master. Agoraphobia epitomizes his mastery, and today, we take a closer look at the story behind this print.

If you run with the social media crowd you may have already heard of Austin Kleon. He's the kind of artist who lures you into his work through Tumblr and Twitter, and then talks about things like diner recommendations just often enough to help you remember he's real.

And then there's his Newspaper Blackout Poems (all four of his editions are part of this series)—works created by redacting words with halfway reckless but carefully considered marks in black permanent marker. His editions resurrect old stories by changing their meaning. In Agoraphobia, Kleon takes the story of a young violinist from The New York Times and creates the an ode to the overwhelming possibilities that surround us. The word "agoraphobia" refers to the great anxiety of facing open spaces (also often thought of as a fear of leaving home and a fear of crowds). The first clause/phrase of Austin's poem reads, "Space is a big place," alluding to this not-so-funny phobia. Whether Austin first writes the poems or names them then digs out the words from the spread in front of him is a mystery, but either way, he deftly crafts a layered narratives with the wise choice of a few well-chosen words.

There are only 14 of his 10"x8" and 15 of his 20"x16" prints remaining, so be sure to pick up Agoraphobia or one of Austin's other editions before they're all gone.

And as for the violinist that was once profiled in The New York Times, you can assume that the person's music is reverberating all throughout the world, hidden behind the veil brought about by agoraphobia.