Memoirs of the Blind: The Self-Portrait and Other Ruins

Rating:
Summary: Drawing Conclusions at the the Louvre
Review: This book is both an exhibtion catalogue to a show Derrida curated at the Louvre of drawings on the theme of blindness (complete with many reproductions of works) as well as a brillant investigation into the art of drawing by dealing with blindness as evidence of 'blindness' itself in every act of looking (and of course reproduction). As stated by Derrida, "every drawing of 'the blind' is a drawing 'of' the blind." More than just an example of applied deconstruction, Derrida's reading of these drawings questions the very foudnation of western ideologies of 'looking' and 'seeing' taken for granted as self-evident by artists for centuries. By the end, one wonders who is the author, the artist, the curator?, as Derrida does more with these drawings 'for drawing' than they ever did for drawing themselves. This book is a necessity for any visual artist producing critical work in the 21st century.