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Many of those artists self-publish to make their work accessible outside of mainstream systems, and printing on T-shirts is a part of that practice. Printed Matter’s primary focus is on publications made by artists. Why are T-shirts such a big part of the art book world? Here the two discuss how a T-shirt can be a publication, how bootlegs create community, and the radical spirit of generosity that Shannon brought to the world of printed matter.
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A designer, artist, and publisher of Pinups magazine, Christopher was also Shannon’s go-to prepress man for printing shirts Jordan is a visual artist as well as Printed Matter’s coordinator of fairs and editions. Shannon sadly passed away before the third show was completed, and his friends Christopher Schulz and Jordan Nassar completed the exhibition in his stead. This exhibition was followed three years later with The Bootleg T-Shirt Show II, and then again in late 2017 with the most recent installment. In 2012, he took this practice a step further by launching the first iteration of The Bootleg T-Shirt Show, in which he invited artists and designers to create their own bootleg T-shirts to be exhibited and sold at Printed Matter. In his personal practice, Shannon regularly created his own shirts, bootlegging obscure publications, art practices, and logos as a way of illustrating their relevance today. As curator of Printed Matter’s book fairs and editions, Shannon oversaw the inimitable NY and LA Art Book Fairs, events that summon a diverse and energetic array of artists, publishers, and fans to share their love of all things printed: books, posters, records, zines, and quite frequently, T-shirts. Bootlegging can imply hacking into systems, such as video games or phones or economies, or it can simply mean the act of disregarding copyright enforcement altogether.įor many designers the term seems to resonate with our impulse to exhume the past, our ongoing quest for production and transmission of meaning, and a desire to both participate in and critique the broader industries that commodify the artistic act. As part of an ongoing series, the Gradient will be interviewing designers who investigate the idea of bootlegging in their practice, to understand its connection to creativity, community, and commerce.įor Shannon Michael Cane, bootlegging was a prompt that allowed him to celebrate the things he loved, and bring together people to share them with. For others, it is synonymous with black-market industries such as pirate radio, moonshine, underground pharmaceuticals, or unauthorized entertainment media. For some, the term suggests counterfeit reproductions of luxury products. “Bootlegging” can imply a variety of intentions, tactics, and conditions while questioning notions of authorship and ownership.