$ELL YOUR $ELF Los Angeles Book Launch with Pippa Garner | ARTBOOK @ Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
Arts
Artist Pippa Garner is hosting a special book signing event to celebrate the release of her latest book, '$ELL YOUR$ELF'. The book, published in conjunction with Garner's first institutional exhibition in New York, features her previously unpublished writing, including personal accounts of her gender transition-as-performance. It also includes texts by contemporaries and admirers such as McKenzie Wark, Nayland Blake, and Chip Lord. 'SELL YOURSELF' showcases never-before-published images of Garner's drawings, garments, and classified ads, providing a unique perspective on her approach to addressing and parodying the contradictions of commodity fetishism from the 1960s to the present day. Garner's work embraces pleasure, kink, and the subversion of mass-produced products, offering imaginative ways to restructure environments, everyday devices, and self-concepts. Throughout her career, Garner has challenged traditional notions of art by embedding her work in the world, often outside of traditional gallery spaces. This richly illustrated publication cements Garner's reputation as a vital and provocative voice in contemporary art. Originally trained as a car designer, Garner gained attention for her unconventional artwork, including scaling the Golden Gate Bridge in her iconic car installation, Backwards Car. In addition to her automotive work, Garner has used her own body as raw material, exploring gender through hormone therapy. Garner's work has infiltrated mass media, from classified ads to appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She has also released artist books that mimic mail-order catalogs, including the well-known Better Living Catalog. Garner's upcoming exhibition, $ELL YOUR$ELF, will feature her latest conceptual car, Haulin' Ass!, and is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue published in collaboration with Pioneer Works Press. The exhibition will be on view at Art Omi until October 29, 2023. Garner's work will also be featured in several prominent exhibitions, including the Hammer's Made in L.A. 2023 Biennial and the Yokohama Triennale 2023. Additionally, Garner's solo exhibition, Act Like You Know Me, will be held at White Columns in New York City from November 3 to December 16, 2023. This event coincides with the release of an accompanying monograph published by Bierke Books. With her numerous publications and exhibitions, Garner has established herself as a significant artist whose work challenges societal norms and blurs the boundaries between art and everyday life.