hmmm.... is a story about a bear that tries to become a tree. Andy Farkas wrote the story and, during a residency at Minnesota Center for Book Arts, cut the woodblocks for the illustrations and printed and bound the pages.
Andy's artist statement:
i follow a dog chasing some invisible bird.
my work is prayer.
it longs to be humble.
it makes visible my essence and desire,
makes clear my failure and my joy.
it dreams of hope and whispered wisdoms.
it seeks truth.
my goal is to overtake the dog
and make visible the invisible bird.
Good story is transcendent of time, space and culture, it has ever been humanity’s attempt to understand the world around us; that somehow by experiencing a story you might understand more, feel some new feeling, revisit some old one or find enlightenment. I have made prints throughout my artistic career though the true nature of my work lies in telling stories. The medium of “story” goes beyond ink, paint, words and music. It is a profound medium of which life itself is a tool, like a brush or an etching needle.
For me, story is not a medium to be forced. Much of the preparatory work is a matter of living life and allowing a story to filter from experience through a quiet mind. The creation itself is a quest, the object of which is not immediately known. It is a matter of being led to its conclusion and discovering that which would not have been visible or apparent in any other way. The story can take many forms, i.e., writing, drawing, printmaking etc., or a combination thereof and so my goal is not to limit where the story might go but to use whatever means necesary to tell it best. Some stories are told in a single image some in many, but the images are not separate from the words nor should they simply reitterate them (or the music or performance), they’re like threads in a tapestry— beautiful in and of themselves, but taken in as a complete whole, even more magnificent. This is what I love...That the story is a metaphor of the individual complicated lives we all live.
My art and its creation are deeply entwined with my religious beliefs and so my goals for each are consistent. It is my great hope that those who experience my work come away with any number of the most positive of human experiences: hope, truth, joy, peace, resolve, sympathy and enlightenment.
ABOUT ANDY FARKAS
Andy Farkas is an emerging print and book artist who has been studying and developing his craft for over nine years. His work has been exhibited internationally and nationwide in numerous galleries and institutions, from which he has received accolades in the form of guest lectures, visiting artist workshops as well as artist residencies for the development of further projects. In addition to his work in the media of woodcut, wood engraving, drypoint, etching and book design, Farkas has also written the text for each of his books (listed in order of production: “Saints in a House of Healing”, “The Inalienable Rights” “Four Stories”, and “M. M. & I.” and “hmmm...”) and is currently working on a new book project entitled “River.” He also designs websites and is a freelance Illustrator and resides in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife, two dogs and three cats.
hmmm... is available at The Shop @ MCBA. For more information, please contact
the shop manager at 612.215.2520 or email
us with
any questions.
HOURS:
Tuesday: 10 am to 9 pm
Monday, Wednesday - Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday: Closed
