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Tuesday Edition: Valerie Roybal

Encyclopedia 2 by Valerie Roybal
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200)

First-day-of-Biennial-festivities greetings collector friends! This eve marks the beginning of a flurry of fancy events in celebration of the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Donning most elegant garb, I'll be ecstatically, if not also a bit nervously, tottering in heels of epic elevations, escorting guest-of-honor, Nina Berman. Our JBP triple-crown artist — Spring 2007 Hot Shot, JBG-represented, 20x200 edition-maker — is a VIP at tonight's VIP party. In true Cinderella style, I'm still putting the last touches on my look and am resting my pretty polished little toes so as not to turn into a pumpkin at midnight. So my intro today will be short but sweet!

Thankfully, today's edition is sure to be a 20x200 paparazzi-pleaser. As soon as Valerie Roybal's prints are introduced to the pages of 20x200, they begin to disappear, going much in the way of the hefty alphabetized tomes that once decorated the educated's shelves — encyclopedias. Remember them from way-back-when? From these hard-bound books, Valerie derives the titles (and some source materials) for her latest series, of which we've selected one to bring to you: Encylopedia 2.

The timing's just right for this new release; Valerie's work is on view for one more week in The Enormous Tiny Art Show at Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She's in good company. Fellow friends of 20x200, Kate Bingaman-Burt and Lisa Congdon, are also featured. See some small-scale works from this 20x200 trifecta until March 1st. Details about the show can be found on the 20x200 blog.

You're all too familiar with my wordy ways, so I'll spare you the pain of my puns! But I won't shy away from sharing a few favorite editions that go by the way of books and letters. Secret Language 3, Secret Language 1 and Well-being 2 round out Valerie's excellent edition repertoire. Mickey Smith's Collocation No. 14 (NATURE) Left Panel and Collocation No. 14 (NATURE) Right Panel burst boldly forth in gold and green. More softly, Stefanie Posavec's Walter Benjamin: A Literary Organism Analysis analyzes the structure of WB's sentences and sections.

Our troves are chock full of treasured editions that celebrate the printed page. Just skim our offerings: text and typography, media and more books abound! I'll leave you to browse and promise to bring Biennial updates tomorrow!

More editions with Typography + Text: