Wait, Later This Will Be Nothing: Editions by Dieter Roth

Dieter Roth’s wildly inventive artistic practice encompassed everything from painting and sculpture to film and video, but it is, arguably, through his editioned works— books, prints, and multiples— that he made his most important contributions. These experimental editions include literature sausages, filled with ground-up books, newspapers, or magazines in place of meat; prints made with pudding, fruit juice, and other organic materials in lieu of ink; plastic toys mired in chocolate; and a dazzling array of variations on printed postcards.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, and focusing on the prolific period between 1960 and 1972, this volume highlights Roth’s most exciting and innovative projects. An essay by Sarah Suzuki, Associate Curator in the Museum’s Department of Prints and Illustrated Books, uses Snow (1964/1969), a complex book-sculpture, as a touchstone from which to investigate Roth’s iconography, technical innovations, use of language, and relationships to other artists. A conservation essay explores preservation issues around Roth’s works and addresses larger concerns about the challenges of conserving contemporary art and organic materials.