New Jim Drain & Melanie Bonajo Fundraising Editions for Art Basel Miami Beach
Printed Matter is down at Art Basel Miami Beach, Dec 3-6, cozied up with our friends at Art Metropole. Please stop by and visit us at Entrance Hall B, Booth T3. We’re launching two new Printed Matter fundraising editions from Jim Drain and Melanie Bonajo, and will also debut a new screenprint from Steven Vainberg titled BLACK/BLACK.
New Jim Drain Fundraising Edition  This new work from Jim Drain, Master of the New Idea, is a giclée print with screen-printed spot varnish of the iconic New Balance sneaker. The shoe takes the place of a Picasso painting on the cover of a 1993 publication from Abrams Books, which traced the life of the artist.
As Jim Drain put it: If you had to wear a sneaker into battle, I’d wear New Balance. They are the Emeco of shoes. They could be government issued. They are the Bert and Ernie of design. Imagine Big Bird looking at a Picasso. Would he daydream of a New Balance? Would Bert wear ones with velcro straps? Master of the orthopedic. What if Design became an algorithm that gave out the wrong answer? Orange you glad? Signed and numbered in an edition of 20, Master of the New Idea is priced at $250 and available here.
New Melanie Bonajo Fundraising Prints  Melanie Bonajo has created a new portfolio for Printed Matter, Völkerschau; At first I felt hopeful, a series of 20 unique black & white photographic prints. The work features images taken by Bonajo during a visit to the zoo, each focusing on a different animal; a chimpanzee, polar bear, penguin, and others. The artist has hand-printed each work (12 x 16 in), and as part of her darkroom process subjected the surface of each print to various kinds of material manipulation, using glitter, copper mesh, paint, and other media. The works further explore Bonajo’s interest in nature photography and humankind’s attitudes toward the natural world, aiming to create a fictional space for Human Persons and Non-Human Persons to connect with one another. The signed works, each unique, are priced at $300. Contact news@printedmatter.org for additional images.