Michael DruksActor from M HKA Ensembles

Michael Druks

©image: ICC Archive

° 1940

Born in Jerusalem (), lives in London ().

The Israeli-born British artist Michael Druks enjoyed a brief period of international fame during the late sixties and early seventies as a media activist avant la letter; works from this pivotal period in art were acquired by the Gordon Matta-Clark Foundation towards the end of seventies. “Reordering of Communication: Forgery/Action” from 1973 consists of six photo panels that document Druks’ repeated performative attempts at silencing the ubiquitous talking heads on television; these were the glory years of televised politics. In “Reordering of Communication Action: Making Him Smoke, Making Him Drink” Druks even resorts to the use of both alcohol and nicotine to stem the gushing tide of vacuous political babble – it remains an open, unanswerable question who won, in the end.

Works

>Michael Druks, Reordering of Communication: Forgery/Action, 1973.Installation, adhesive letters, photographs, bristolpaper.

>Michael Druks, Reordering of communication forgery nº4 making him peep, 1973.Photography, adhesive letters, photographs, bristolpaper, 95 x 73 cm.

>Michael Druks, Reordering of communication action, making him smoke making him drink, 1973.Photography, adhesive letters, photographs, bristolpaper, 54 x 79.5 cm.

>Michael Druks, Reordering of communication forgery nº 2 making her peep, 1973.Photography, adhesive letters, photographs, bristolpaper, 79.5 x 54.5 cm.

>Michael Druks, Reordering of communication forgery nº 1 making him peep, 1973.Photography, adhesive letters, photographs, bristolpaper, 79.5 x 54.5 cm.