Jonathan Barnbrook: COLLATERAL DAMAGE, exhibition

Friday 16th May 2008 at 8 pm, the Museum of National Liberation Maribor (Ulica heroja Tomšiča 5) - the opening of the exhibition Jonathan Barnbrook: COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

Jonathan Barnbrook and his studio Barnbrook Design, use long forgotten typographic models and graphic forms to create complex multilayered works that define a unique voice far the 21st century. The exhibition title, Collateral Damage, reflects the studio's often political design output, and their passionate vision created from a desire to formulate a critique of their own profession and society.

The studio divides its time between commercial work for museums and cultural institutions and non-commercial projects, the studio has also become very well known as a result of collaborations with major British figures Damien Hirst and David Bowie.

Non-commercial collaborations include art directing and producing work with 'Adbusters' the leading activist magazine. The studio also puts great effort into developing and producing work which highlights political and social injustices that are offered for free and without copyright restrictions on the studio's website (www.barnbrook.net). Recently the studio has increasingly taken part in exhibitions of specially commissioned artworks and has been actively involved in protests on issues of human rights.

One of Barnbrook Design's most visible forms of activity is in the world of typeface design where they have extended a socio-political view to this often traditional world. Producing typefaces based on historical forms but with a very contemporary subversive influence and titled in an appropriately confrontational manner. Typefaces with names such as 'Manson' (American serial-killer), Exocet (French missile) and Bastard (English swearword) have garnered both praise and criticism for the highlighting of the relationship of words to the letterforms that represent them.

Coproduction: Kibla, Magdalena and Museum of National Liberation Maribor

Visit the Museum:
Monday – Friday from 8.00am till 4.00pm, Saturday from 9.00am till 12.00pm.

The exhibition will be on view until 31st of July 2008.