Reading Each Other, 2021

In David Byrne’s Reading Each Other (2021), two people appear engaged in close conversation. Their bodies are composed of stacks of words and, as the title suggests, many methods of communication flow between them. “‘Stop being so literal!’ Boy, have I heard that a lot,” Byrne says when asked about the print. “But, of course, we do read one another, though, OK, maybe not exactly like a book. What we speak is only a small part of what we say, yes? The language of gesture, posture, movement, clothing, expression - we all speak it and more or less understand it, sometimes well and sometimes imperfectly, instinctively, without being taught this language in school.”

Each print is hand-signed, titled, and numbered, and comes packaged inside the limited edition of A History of the World (in Dingbats), a hardcover book that is signed by the author and housed in a clamshell case. The limited edition is an Artspace and Phaidon charitable edition with a portion of profits directed to Reasons To Be Cheerful, a solutions journalism nonprofit.

About the book

The phenomenally creative musician and filmmaker David Byrne presents new artwork that explores daily life in surprising ways, with unique reflections on shared human experiences - a book for our time from a highly influential artist.

Through striking and humorous figurative drawings, David Byrne depicts daily life in intriguing ways. His illustrations, created while under quarantine, expand on the dingbat, a typographic ornament used to illuminate or break up blocks of text, to explore the nuances of life under lockdown and evoke the complex, global systems the pandemic cast in bright light. Edited and designed by Alex Kalman in close collaboration with Byrne, this unique book reflects on shared experiences and presents history as a story that is continually undergoing revision.

Through striking and humorous figurative drawings, David Byrne depicts daily life in intriguing ways. His illustrations, created while under quarantine, expand on the dingbat, a typographic ornament used to illuminate or break up blocks of text, to explore the nuances of life under lockdown and evoke the complex, global systems the pandemic cast in bright light. Edited and designed by Alex Kalman in close collaboration with Byrne, this unique book reflects on shared experiences and presents history as a story that is continually undergoing revision.

“In the pandemic, we were often reduced to reading each other via screens. As digital culture strives to atomize our relationships, to break us down into mere individuals who never physically meet, we risk being separated from our reading material.” - David Byrne

David Byrne’s practice spans photography, performance, drawing, illustration, video, design, and publishing. In 1975 he cofounded the seminal group Talking Heads. Byrne’s exuberant and radical creativity has challenged classifications of art for decades. His Bicycle Diaries was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and his How Music Works was a New York Times bestseller as well as an Amazon Editors’ pick and a Best Book of the Month. His hit Tony Award–winning theatrical concert American Utopia was adapted by Spike Lee into a concert film that premiered on HBO and received multiple Emmys. Byrne's work is collected by MoMA, The Whitney Museum, the Getty, and Yale University Art Gallery.

All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly and sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.

All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.

All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.

For images up to 30" x 40"

• 1 1/4” wide, 3/4” deep, with a 2 1/2” wide mat.
• We generally leave 1/4” - 1/2” of paper showing around the image, to accommodate signatures and for visual appeal.

For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40" please contact an Artspace advisor for a custom quote.

Our art editions ship in 7 to 10 business days from New York.

Our framed art editions ship in 11 to 14 business days from New York.

This work is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt of delivery.

Questions about this work?

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Contact an Artspace Advisor at advisor@artspace.com