Wild, creative and completely simplistic, Jac Leirner’s Adhesive 44, number 44 in her sticker-based work, is a unique exhibit of turning the everyday world into pure art. Adhesive 44 is comprised of two 40-foot windowpanes covered with stickers. Collecting stickers for over the past 20 years, Leirner transfers her life as a consumer onto her art, creating pieces that relate to daily life.
Although Leirner previously applied stickers to bus windows and plexiglass sheets, the glass windows-typical to any hardware store-are a perfect expansive background to the array of colors, graphics and words that each sticker carries.
The stickers are divided into categories even though their placement is seemingly random. Color, subject and form are all characteristics that determine where on the glass the sticker is placed, but not how the sticker is placed.
The stickers are mostly of a promotional nature, however children’s stickers, mailing labels and even scratch n’ sniff stickers adorn the extensive backdrop. Adding to the interest, an old WVUM sticker hides in the menagerie of color, side by side with a Fed Ex label and a small Care Bear.
Since each sticker is a part of Leirner’s life, having obtained the stickers from traveling, gifts, or through stores, all of Leirner’s work is based on her personal experiences of life. In this case, some stickers were in Leirner’s possession long before Adhesive 44 began to take shape.
Visually interesting and explicit of the relationship between culture and consumerism, Adhesive 44 is one of the few exhibits that has a wide audience appeal. A gentle balance of common elements with a highly stylized design, Adhesive 44 is an exhibit that no one should miss.
Artist Background: Jac Leirner is a Sao Paulo based artist who has been completing and exhibiting works of art using everyday items since 1992. Using cigarette packs, stickers, envelopes and even museum shopping bags, Leirner creates unique pieces that enhance the appeal of items that consumers often overlook or take advantage of. Leirner’s work has been displayed internationally, receiving a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation in New York.
>> Adhesive 44 will be closing on Oct. 10. Check out the Miami Art Museum to catch a glimpse of this inimitable work.
Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.