Three sheets of paper hinged together in a vertical arrangement; abstract image; X-ray-like image with white on black; top sheet has grey elements at top and at lower corners with white form on black rectangle; central sheet has vertical and diagonal white lines on a black rectangle, with two fuzzy forms in white at top; bottom sheet has black square with vertical and diagonal white lines; framed without glazing. Unique monoprint screenprinted by the artist using asphaltum on paper with hand-applied asphaltum on three sheets of paper cut and hinged by the artist. Multiple monoprints were made using shared screens for printing and joined in various combinations, all entitled "Niet Voor Kinderen."

Copyright %C2%A9 Jay Heikes%2C published by Highpoint Editions

Niet voor Kinderen (3), 2015

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In both concept and method, Jay Heikes’s "Niet Voor Kinderen" series puts a surrealist twist on figurative images composed of found objects. He made the images using the Surrealists’ camera-less photographic technique called a “photogram.” Objects found in the studio are placed on a photosensitive surface and the light is switched on briefly producing eerie silhouettes, partly focused and partly not. The images are broken down into sections—essentially heads, torsos, and legs (or sometimes fishtails)—which can be recombined. They recall the surrealist parlor game Exquisite Corpse, in which participants collaborate to draw a figure on a sheet of paper folded so that each cannot see what the others have drawn until the image is complete.

The images resemble humans, animals, or Frankenstein monsters. They are not unlike the familiar forms of x-rayed mummies. The reference to mummies was intended by the artist. He printed the images using asphaltum in place of ordinary ink. Ancient Egyptians used asphaltum in the preparation of mummies. Moreover, from the 16th to 20th centuries artists used “mummy brown,” a pigment made from ground up mummies. Continuing work on his images after printing and assembly, Heikes freely painted them with a wash that resembles this macabre substance.

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Details
Title
Niet voor Kinderen (3)
Artist Life
born 1975
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2016.59.1
Provenance
Highpoint Editions, Minneapolis (publisher); sold to MIA, 2016.
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Three sheets of paper hinged together in a vertical arrangement; abstract image; X-ray-like image with white on black; top sheet has grey elements at top and at lower corners with white form on black rectangle; central sheet has vertical and diagonal white lines on a black rectangle, with two fuzzy forms in white at top; bottom sheet has black square with vertical and diagonal white lines; framed without glazing. Unique monoprint screenprinted by the artist using asphaltum on paper with hand-applied asphaltum on three sheets of paper cut and hinged by the artist. Multiple monoprints were made using shared screens for printing and joined in various combinations, all entitled "Niet Voor Kinderen."

Copyright © Jay Heikes, published by Highpoint Editions