1943, Stuttgart, Germany–

Immigrated to the UK in 1965

Mayer moved to the UK in 1966 to take up a lecturing post at the Bath Academy of Art. He soon became a central figure in British avantgarde publishing and typographic art, befriending, among others, the Polish-born critic and curator Jasia Reichardt. In this work, Mayer reworks Reichardt’s introduction to his portfolio concrete poetry britain canada united states (1966), leaving the names of Reichardt, Sharkey, and Bob Cobbing legible. The grid of densely layered square blocks brings art writing and visual practice into the same frame while quietly undoing their usual order. Rather than inviting interpretation from outside, Mayer’s piece performs its own act of interpretation, treating art historical writing as raw visual material.

William Allen Collection