increase: Ann Hamilton/Michael Mercil

North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, North Dakota
3 August – 25 September 2003

Exhibition view, east gallery — **Exhibition view**, east gallery

In many of my works for this exhibition text replaces image and words form material. Brace yourself, burns a quote from “The Book of Job” onto the surface of three plywood tablets. The oak timber of WHO lies on the floor like a casket or sarcophagus. The words carved into its top refer to the Christian mystery of an incarnate God, but its purpose is not religious.

“I am a” (Buffalo) includes forty-nine, hand-painted signs arranged in a grid, where “Bowl of Potatoes,” “President Roosevelt,” and “The Temple of Music” occupy equivalent physical and imaginative space. The painted surfaces of Mrs. Peter name characters from the “Tales of Peter Rabbit.” Other works invoke a political contract or social transaction. Covenant is a rusted-steel ballot box and table. Measure is an oversized, sterling silver, begging cup engraved with “please” on its outside and “thank you” on the inside.

The exhibition’s title, increase, names a collaborative work I made with Ann Hamilton. Our piece includes a spinning video loop of a Shaker text, "my love is increasing," being scribed with a nib pen and ink. The image, rotating at an accelerating speed from 2 rpm to 33 1/2 rpm, was cast across the walls of an otherwise empty mezzanine.

"I am a" (Buffalo) 2003 enamel paint on burned plywood, 49 panels 42 x 42 x .5 inches each — **"I am a" (Buffalo)**, 2003, enamel paint on burned plywood, 49 panels each 42 x 42 x 1/2 inches

your dress 2003 latex paint over wallpaper 108 x 108 inches — **your dress**, 2003, latex paint on wallpaper, 108 x 108 inches

WHO 2003 carved white oak 22 x 72 x 22 inches — **WHO**, 2003, carved white oak, 22 x 72 x 22 inches

covenant 2003 welded and rusted steel 57 x 60 x 24 inches — **covenant** (second version), 2003, welded and rusted steel, 57 x 60 x 24 inches

Brace yourself 2003 burned plywood, three panels 96 x 48 x .75 inches each — **Brace yourself**, 2003, burned plywood, three panels 96 x 48 x 3/4 inches each

Mrs. Peter (detail) 2003 enamel paint on pine plywood, twenty panels 36 x 36 x .5 inches each — **Mrs. Peter** (detail), 2003, enamel paint on pine plywood, twenty panels 36 x 36 x 1/2 inches each

increase (with Ann Hamilton), 2003, variable speed, spinning video loop (excerpt)

Related reading
increase: Ann Hamilton/Michael Mercil, Laurel Reuter and Robert Silberman, North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, 2003