ABC CHOP is a collaboration between ABC [Artists’ Books Cooperative] and ACRE to establish a temporary “book shop”. The Chop will be a one-month performative residency taking place over August and September 2025, where ABC members will organise a series of curated happenings such as talks, gatherings, and performances taking place within the “book shop”. ABC Chop interrogates the role of the book and also presents bookworks and other multiples that are often overlooked or untraceable within the social, economic and geographic constraints of the contemporary art market.
BASIC NEEDS is a collective ABC project that references a British product line of the same name, in which simple household necessities from electrical fuses to sewing needles are made available by thecompany to local shops across the country. Arranged on metal stands and easily recognisable through their distinct, minimalist packaging, the BASIC NEEDS products are almost works of art themselves and have even inspired several artists over time.
Members of ABC were invited to submit something to the project that considers, interrogates, plays on or with the idea of a “basic need”, especially within a transactional environment such as a shop or the broader consumer societies we all live in. To calculate the price for the works, each member was asked to itemise the materials, time and other costs involved in its production, including travel to Berlin. The value of each member’s time has been fixed at the German minimum hourly wage, which is currently €12.82 pr/hr.
The press release and list of works can be downloaded below.
Photos by John MacLean
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