The discovery of art in unexpected places – whether it’s a bold new mural on the side of an old building or a small chalk drawing on the sidewalk – is an experience that invites us to find beauty in the mundane. When a piece by street artist Free Humanity arrived to one of our clients in a FedEx box with a stenciled work by the artist on the box itself, our client knew they had something special. Our client decided to conserve the box itself as a work of art, and The Center had the privilege of working closely with the artist during our treatment and framing of the piece. During this collaborative process, Free Humanity explained his artistic vision to us, and worked closely with our conservators to determine the appropriate approach for treatment and framing.
The work, prior to receiving treatment.
The verso of the piece.
The box came to us in exactly the condition you’d expect a shipping box to be in – showing signs of impact damage, creases and handling dents, a moderate layer of surface grime, and riddled with tape and shipping labels. The first task at hand was to get in touch with the artist to collaborate on determining the best way for us to proceed with trimming the box to frame it and removing the labels while honoring his original vision. We frequently confer with living artists and their estates before we start conservation projects, to make sure we’re preserving the artist's original intention for the piece.
The artist’s signature.
After working through a plan with Free Humanity to trim the piece and remove the labels, we asked him whether there was anything he’d like to share about this work. “I prefer to work on cardboard as my medium as cardboard is forgotten and tossed out but can still be turned into something beautiful as can all humans,” he told us. “It’s a symbolic gesture that all have this transformative power with a little bit of love.”
This statement seems to embody much of Free Humanity’s work; as he said in a 2019 interview with Cultivated Magazine, “As far as iconic humans I try to represent humanitarians in my work or great artists. Audrey, in particular, was a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and went to Africa to help feed starving children.” It makes sense, then, that the star’s face wound up turning our client’s FedEx box into a work of art.
This project turned into a collaborative effort between our Paper and Custom Framing and Fabrication departments. Our conservators carefully removed the shipping labels using a scalpel and cleaned the surface grime using a conservation grade eraser and a soft brush.
Removing the label.
Surface cleaning to remove grime.
Using a soft brush to carefully clean.
The piece was then flattened and trimmed to fit in its framing package: a black opaque maple frame with an acid-free Coroplast backing board, UV Plexiglass (a conservation grade acrylic glazing that protects against UV light rays), matching white wood spacers and a strainer, with the work float mounted on an archival white mat.
The framing process.
The work framed, after receiving treatment.
The verso of the frame.
It was an honor to collaborate with Free Humanity on this surprising treasure, and we know our client will cherish the work – and the message behind it – for years to come.
Source:
https://cultivatedmagazine.com/2019/03/17/interviews-free-humanity-takes-on-social-manipulation/
