The Church of Sharpie
 

In May 2005, I gathered 16 assistants for a Sharpie-drawing marathon in a large temporary studio in the East Village, New York. We produced twenty huge (190" by 120") drawings outlining the map of the USA, each with commentary on subjects such as the Civil War, space shuttles, state flowers, the American bicentennial, the draft, road-tripping, love, God and the baby boom. Typically I would outline the drawings overnight, and the assistants would come in and ink my outlines during the day and evening, so there were always three shifts running. Over the course of the month, as we listened to the different music everyone brought in and shared lunches and stories, we also invented a language and developed a cult around this magnificent household marker. Words such as ‘Sharpologist’ were invented. A range of up to twelve Sharpie middle-tones was achieved with the fading marker, while ‘black’ took on a different meaning. My assistants, students and graduates from various New York art schools bore titles such as ‘The Supervisor of Paper Cutting and Protector of Fingertips’, ‘Manager of Middle-tones’ and ‘Secretary of Finesse’. One day Jason Schmidt came over to shoot this photo of us for V magazine. I think it was he who named it The Church of Sharpie.

See installation shots from Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2006.
See installation shots from Rental Gallery, Los Angeles, 2006.
See installation shots from Mary Boone Gallery, NYC, 2006.
See installation shots from greengrassi, London, 2005.

Download a PDF version of the publication HERE (30,6Mo).

 
Photo by Jason Schmidt for V magazine, June 2005.
 
The End, marker on paper, 190 x 120"qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
The Spirit of '76 , marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
America For You, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
Baby Boom, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
Beauty Free, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
Free Beauty, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
God Is All Over You, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq bSee detail
 
Draft Me Hard, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
Home Sweet Home, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq bSee detail
 
USA Liberty, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
We Remember Pearl Harbor U.S.A, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
USA Now!!, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqgqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
Please Help Yourself, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq bSee detail
 
Real Real Estate Flowers, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqSee detail
 
You Are My Roadtrip, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq b See detail
 
Outer Space Inner Peace, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqbSee detail
 
Cold War Hot Stuff, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
The War for The Union With Love, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq bSee detail
 
Welcome Sometimes, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqSee detail
 
Oh! Yes, marker on paper, 190 x 120". qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq See detail
 
See More Drawings and Read texts on Drawings
 

texts on The Church of Sharpie:

De Dominicis, Serena, Aleksandra Mir. Critica di un occidente, Arte e Critica, #58, Roma, March 2009.
Jasper, Adam, Aleksandra Mir. Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland, Frieze, London, Dec 2006.
Sgualdini, Silvia, How to do something from nothing, UOVO, Torino, Dec 2006.
Wullschlager, Jackie, An ad-man's snapshot of the US, The Financial Times, London, Oct 6, 2006.
Coomer, Martin, Aleksandra Mir. Greengrassi, Time Out, London, Nov 23-30, 2005.
Magic Marker, V magazine, # 38, NYC, Winter 2005-06.