Paper and performance are strange bedfellows. Performance happens in the moment; paper, on the other hand, is associated with documentation and reproduction. Yet historically, both the structure and the afterlife of most artworks are found in and on paper, through scripts, preliminary sketches, photographic prints, magazines, and news photos. Paper can also perform different functions as a material: it can project a sense of fragility, or perform a final seal of approval for something taking place. 

Featured works, which date from the advent of Xerox technology in the 1960s and continue into the present, all show that paper is neither neutral nor passive, but rather a dynamic medium that can perform unexpected roles. 

This exhibition is curated by Katie Anania, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Blanton Museum of Art and PhD Candidate in Art History at UT Austin.

Blanton Museum Hours:

Tues.-Fri. 10am-5pm

Sat. 11am-5pm

Sun. 1pm-5pm

Closed Mondays