51. ALFALFA STUDIO
“Can Bonds of Love be something more than an all-women exhibition in a predominantly male gallery?” Questions such as this, posed by Lia Gangitano in her introduction, are subtly answered in the actual design of this elegant hardcover catalog.

Curated and organized by artist and performer Lisa Kirk, Bonds of Love ran at John Connelly Presents in Manhattan and featured the works of 14 female-born artists. “Alfalfa’s main concern was to challenge preconceptions about an all-female show rather tenderly titled Bonds of Love,” explains designer Rafael Esquer. “We began with the title, creating a typographic wire sculpture for the cover. The surprising juxtaposition of such soft words with the harshness of the material creates new meaning.”

For Esquer, the malleability of wire also seemed a subtle metaphor for gender. “We made hundreds of male and female symbols out of different kinds of wire,” he says. His mini-sculptures appear throughout the book, on the divider and end pages. “Some people see a resemblance to pubic hair,” Esquer notes, “or to forests seen from above.”

This catalog, showcasing the work of an eclectic group of artists, is an art piece in its own right.
Romy Ashby