Project Brief

“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 alluded to in the design of this elegant hardcover catalog.

Curated and organized by artist and performer Lisa Kirk, Bonds of Love featured the works of 14 female artists at John Connelly Presents in Manhattan.

Approach

“Alfalfa’s main concern was to challenge preconceptions about an all-female show, rather tenderly titled Bonds of Love,” explains 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. “So we made hundreds of male and female symbols out of different kinds of wire.” His mini-sculptures appear throughout the book, on the divider and end pages. “Some people see a resemblance to pubic hair,” he says, “or to forests seen from above.”

“Visual stream of consciousness; a dense, personal and rich experience.”

—Design Juror, 365: AIGA Year in Design

Outcome

A beautiful book showcasing the work of an eclectic group of artists, this catalog is an art piece in its own right. It has won several awards, 365: AIGA Year in Design 27 among them.