The publisher of this new book on artist's publications since 1955 sent me a copy of the book In Numbers which I read about online recently, it has a dozen pages on the Artpolice including pictures albeit small but pics of all the Artpolice covers. It was hard to put down it was as if I'd lived long enough to see the Artpolice project become history. Or first history if you know what I mean. I hope over time the contributors see this book as I think it vindicates the project from it's criticism and so much of the lies and rumors etc. Though I was the instigator of this project it involved rather alot of artists and one thought I had was the degree to which collective artistic actions decrease the solo ego thing which often spoil art by making it so much about individual genius as opposed to the collective political experiment. The star system pervades the art world indeed the branding of art products is often what gives them value, people what masterworks and the entire system seems geared just like pop music to creating desire. Artpolice was an attempt to have art without the name brand but rather to gather under a banner of team rather than individual. Of course some of the contributors were very big talents and they formed a sort or core of our contributors but we had many contributors from the margins. Andy Baird brought some people to the Artpolice some from art backgrounds like Ann Morgan (much beloved TC artist) and other people less fortunate, homeless fellows, Native Amerikans, really Andy was like our diversity officer. More so later when the Artpolice had more gay contributors and more attention on sexual content. Thing is over 20 years a zine can visit many styles and attitudes. Jonny West's titty pics were always difficult as I honestly don't think Jonny understood the offense to wimmin that his work engendered we lost contributors over Jonny's tit art yet the pretense was no censorship, solidarity. Part of it was the way the Artpolice timeline was congruent with the Feminist rise to popular attention. I love Jonny but he was making things difficult as was I on different issues. I saw one of Mike McCoy's Artpolice covers got reproduced larger than life - it's his last cover of Mexican Crack Toothpaste so on the money. Tim Walton's black history trading cards cover got prominent play, they got the color just so! I'll go on about this for a while. You know I love books and kids find their way in books so this is good and the Charlie 5 book last year. One way to comprehend Picasso is look at the shelves in an art library it's auspicious Picasso gets stacks of books! And that is one way of measuring artistic success by the books. Because they just keep coming, true art never dies. Artpolice was a forever proposition. Kunst uber alles.
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