A Few Homers
“Homer” is an English translation of the Hungarian word fusizni, a subversive practice from 1970s communist Hungary described by philosopher Miklós Haraszti: unbeknownst to their bosses, steel factory workers would distract themselves from the repetitive labor by using the machines and equipment to candidly make objects for themselves.
Mundane objects, were it not for them being glimpses of life, true dreams of self-expression and welcome free thought, homers consisted of things such as ashtrays, bases for flower pots, key chains—real independent work, perhaps. A Few Homers collects artworks and texts related to homers, sometimes directly, sometimes not. It tries to merge art with labor, just like homers struggle to do.
With texts and artistic contributions by Lotte Beckwé, Guillaume Boutrolle, Facteur Cheval, Miklós Haraszti, Lorenza Longhi, Emanuele Marcuccio, Laurent Marissal, Céline Mathieu, Batsheva Ross, Juan Pablo Saenz, Shervin(e) Sheikh Rezaei, Erik Thys and Bas van den Hout.
Edited by Piero Bisello
Designed by Olivier Bertrand
Published by Sufaces Utiles, 2021
Softcover, 104 pages, b&w and color images, 4 × 6.5 inches
ISBN: 978-2-93-111003-4