Scavi

Melbourne : Anajah Press, 2015. Octavo, handpainted card wrappers, pp. [48], illustrated. An artist’s book of photomontaged text and poetry by Melbourne creator Theo Strasser, limited to 50 numbered and signed copies.

‘An artist’s book by Theo Strasser, compiled from altered and montaged photographs which have been digitally reproduced, and acrylic and gouache paintings on heavy and light paper stock. The title, Scavi (meaning excavation in Italian), refers to uncovering the distant past to enable a vision of the future. It is made from experiences in Italy with photographs taken at sites in vaulted tombs, and of uncovered earthen walls and ancient Roman sculptures. The book digs into other layers both personal and physical. It is a book that is aware of itself in its construction, being bound with black thread in a stitched pamphlet-style booklet with heavy felt covers that suggest the colour of pumice, with the title on a tipped-on paper label, with the text in Roman square capitals, like those used for the inscription at the base of Trajan’s Column, against a photographic background image of hand-scratched graffiti. The painting content is inspired by Pompeii’. – the artist.

Held in four Australian collections (NLA, SLQ, NGA, University of Melbourne).