Analia Saban: Paper or Plastic?

"Paper or Plastic?" is a solo exhibition featuring new works by Analia Saban, printed and published by Mixografia. "Paper or Plastic?" will be the debut exhibition at the new Mixografia Gallery (1419 E Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90011). The exhibition focuses on Saban’s manipulation of everyday materials, and the unique experience of collaboration between the artist and printer. The exhibition and the new Mixografia Gallery will open on Saturday, September 10, and will be on exhibit through November 12, 2016. There will be an opening reception honoring Analia Saban on Saturday, September 10 from 4pm – 7pm.

Saban’s newly released editions depict a series of plastic bags, furthering the artist’s career-long exploration into the physical qualities of everyday materials. Each bag is printed with a different design and slogan which have become integral and iconic to the imagery of the disposable plastic bag. Tinged with humor and irony, this series of “plastic” bags, printed in high relief on handmade cotton paper, continues to play upon Saban’s manipulation of material, while elevating the disposable into the realm of fine art.

Saban’s decision to depict plastic bags also speaks to their quiet symbolism in America’s consumer culture, and art’s place within this economy. For her, the bags “symbolize business and trade, and of course, art is part of that dialogue.” The designs, which include slogans such as “Thank You for Shopping Here”, “Have A Nice Day,” and “Gracias,” as well as instructions about safety and recycling, are all readily available from wholesale plastic bag distributors around the world.

Mixografia will also be releasing a second edition by Saban that depicts an Egyptian cotton hand towel that has been punctured through the print, as though the material has been torn. The print relies on relief, texture and shadow to create meaning, cleverly manipulating paper to create the hyper-realistic illusion of cloth. The print is composed of dried and bonded cotton paper, making reference to the woven cotton of the domestic hand towel, and highlighting Saban’s signature manipulation of material.

Indeed, Saban’s prints share their most basic definition (“ink material on cotton material”) with that of a painting, still the art-historical gold standard. By pulling us into the materiality of her artworks and the transitions they undertake, Saban asks us to consider our definitions of the most basic of artworks, and the potential of the everyday materials around us.

“I've always been interested in the conversation between painting and sculpture, or in this case paper and sculpture,” says Saban. “Finding this type of 'hybrid' between media is an inherent part of my work. It's been a pleasure to find an editions workshop that shares the same interests. Also, I'm fascinated with the type of technical innovations that Mixografia produces through their editions and artist collaborations.”
Born in 1980 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saban currently lives and works in Los Angeles. She received a BFA in Visual Arts from Loyola University in New Orleans in 2001, followed by an MFA in New Genres at the University of California in Los Angeles in 2005. Saban’s works are represented in the collections of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles; Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College in New York; Norton Museum of Art in Florida; Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Fundación Proa in Buenos Aires, among others.

Mixografia is excited to debut a newly expanded 6,000 sq. ft. gallery space, adjoined to the historic Mixografia Workshop, which has been a cornerstone of contemporary printmaking in Los Angeles for over 30 years. By curating exhibitions in the location where the artwork is produced, from start to finish, Mixografia creates an intimate conversation between artist, audience and printers.