Unbreak My Heart (book)

This publication covers three branches of artistic practice – all linked under the same title: Unbreak my heart, say you’ll love me again.  The first part presents an encyclopedia, a white sculptural installation. This piece literally illustrates the cultivation and the mind mapping of artistic practice, with the countless dilemmas related to it. In this part of the book, the artist’s own encyclopedic system is unfolded with observations by art historian Natalia Gutman and curator Elena Tzotzi.

The second part depicts an arrangement of eight paintings. These paintings are each measurements of formalistic methods, as well as they are figuratively telling the story of the overall title of this book.

The third part of the book describes the idea of the all-coherent master painting. The poster is part of the standard book. It illustrates the different working methods of the encyclopedia. These graphic maps are described in detail in the book. The artist writes: "Initially, I began to study the walls I continuously ran into, when painting in the studio. I classified them and defined what they were to me. The reason for doing this was due to my own personal, practical and theoretical misunderstandings around painting. It is something that is not as much a true encyclopedia for the world, as it is a personal attempt to verbalize various problems around painting. A 5-meter-long white sculpture was designed to fit my own encyclopedia files. It is a cold cover for the repeatedly private and sentimental content. The viewer is invited to interact with, search, or randomly explore these files. Apart from the alphabetical logic of the installation, I have 3 system maps. The Chapter Map was created to illustrate the education of the artist. The Field Map divides the titles into regions where one arrangement blends into the next and forms an atlas of fields. Then there is the Pragmatic Map, that communicates the rhizomatic order. Here I have judged all thoughts equally and let them expand without manipulation. The rhizomatic map was initially a wish list of titles in a not yet existing painters-encyclopedia. It grew like a plant sending out roots in all directions – seeming illogical. This map is the most honest illustration of the project. It is effortless in its system. To me that is pragmatism."
Unbreak my heart is a soft cover publication with a poster.  The cover paper is uncoated and will overtime become yellow-ish in daylight.
 
ISBN: 978-91-633-3929-5
Edition of 500 copies (including 30 special edition)
Year: 2009
Design: Factor X, DK and Ditte Ejlerskov, DK
Publishing House: In-house studio production
Texts: Natalia Gutman, DK, Elena Tzotzi, SE, Ditte Ejlerskov, DK
Book size: L 22 cm, W 21 cm, D 1,5 cm 
Textbook with 55 images, 94 pages in total 
Project support: The Danish Arts Council, DK, Arctic Paper, DK, Factor X, DK, CENTRUM bookbinding, DK and Galleri Ping-Pong, SE