MERZ mail art EXHIBITION

The exhibition over the Easter weekend celebrates the continuity of the World’s Oldest Post Office by inviting artists from around the world to post their mail art to nearby MERZ for exhibition. The cards form a ‘call’ for ‘response’ from those receiving. Each card will be answered and both returned to the artist suitably stamped and marked with the Sanquhar Post Office logo. Alongside the new mail art will be historic examples from the collections of David Fusco and Paul Robertson. Mary and Barry Ford will be exhibiting postcards sent to the post office.

We faced an interesting dilemma when the artists’ cards began to arrive for exhibition.

Most artists sent their postcards for returning as we’d suggested: ‘naked’ and accessible to marks going through the postal system (duly rubber stamped with Sanquhar Post Office and a postage stamp).

But a few artists included an addressed envelope for the return of their postcard (and the kid’s response card). In this case evidence of the return stamping will appear on their envelope.

But … envelopes can be interesting too. Each posted package arrives with the story of its journey. Some artists had their cards travel in discrete brown overcoats while others dressed their cards in flamboyant suits and dresses.

We had decided to start with that mail art as an art of communication. So the exhibition include the stealthy and the animated packaging with the artists’ notes and response cards to take down and examine.

We’ve tried to lay out the contributions to the same pattern (but, only so far as artistic creativity allowed!).

We hope you enjoy the journey of discovery as much as we have. Thank you all for being involved! There will be updates on @merz.gallery.