Please Add To and Return To: Mail Art Homage to Ray Johnson

Printed Matter is pleased to present Please Add To and Return To: Mail Art Homage to Ray Johnson, the culminating exhibition of recent mail art submissions realized as part of Performa 15 in collaboration with The Ray Johnson Estate. Spanning the back wall of Printed Matter's new location at 231 11th Avenue, the exhibition presents hundreds of submitted works that were received in response to a mail art activation celebrating the life and work of artist Ray Johnson (1927-1995).

The exhibition will be on view at Printed Matter in two phases, with the installation turning over on November 11. A panel discussion and set of performances in connection with the exhibition will be held at Printed Matter during the course of the exhibition, details forthcoming.

The exhibition extends a component of Johnson’s mail art practice in which he distributed “templates” with the instructions “Please Add To.” The artist would send these photocopies of his original drawings en masse via USPS, instructing recipients to “Return To Ray Johnson” or forward to someone else entirely. Upon return of work, Johnson would typically photocopy and recirculate the altered versions or add them to his archive.

As an homage to Johnson, several of the artist’s mail art “templates” were placed back into circulation as a call to action for the next generation of Johnson enthusiasts. Submissions for the project were received from eighty-five cities in nineteen countries, demonstrating that Johnson’s legendary mail art practice continues to resonate.

The exhibition will also display a selection of Johnson's original templates from 1976, which were distributed through 1990, including “please add to and return to” mailings such as "The Starn Twins," "Please Add Hair to Cher," and "Ray Johnson Silhouette."

Printed Matter will have a station on-site for visitors to create new works on blank templates, which will be collected into the exhibition and placed on view in accompanying binders. Once received, all submissions are posted to a page on the Ray Johnson Estate website and become part of the Ray Johnson Estate archive.