Allergic to Paper

Allergic to Paper (2003) by Berend Strik suggests a hypersensitivity to one of the most common substrates of art — paper, the material support for drawing, printmaking, and photography.

Being allergic to paper is both a literal medical condition and a metaphor for artistic anxiety about one's medium. An allergy to paper would mean an allergy to photographs — and to all the art forms that depend on paper as a vehicle for image-making.

The title also suggests a commentary on the fragility of images: paper is vulnerable to moisture, light, and tearing, just as photographs are vulnerable to time and interpretation. Strik's textile interventions can be seen as a way of "protecting" the photograph — adding a physical layer that reinforces the surface.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters