Jan Vercruysse

1992

Print
Materials: paper

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. BK006091).

*9 designs for the cover of a magazine in 8 + 1 installments* is a series of graphics consisting of nine prints, all named after a well-known woman. Some are mythological (Aphrodite, Atalanta, Helen, Phryne), some biblical (Judith), some classic-historical (Cleopatra), some literary-historic (Beatrice) and some kabbalistic (Lilith). They are all strong personalities who in their own way shaped the course of history, and who are popular subjects within the history of art. Last in row is Lewis Carroll's Alice. Her cover design sits lower on the wall than those of the illustrious women who precede her. Characteristically for Vercruysse's oeuvre, central to *8+1* appear to be its sheer formal qualities. Apart from the image of the designs themselves, which vary in lay-out and paper type depending on the name in question, the series does not contain clues for further interpretation. Vercruysse literally presents the empty shell of a potential channel of communication. As with his other printed works, like his series of [*Portraits of the Artist*](http://ensembles.mhka.be/items/la-feinte), he stimulates our imagination without satisfying our curiosity. It is perhaps for this reason that Alice gets a special treatment: her story is about embracing uncertainties and riddles, without necessarily reaching definitive answers.