Fog on the Glass

Leopards from “Seasons” by Lesley Schiff
10.5”x8.5”; color xerography print; 1981. Courtesy of the artist.

FROM KOLAJ 33

Four Decades of Lesley Schiff’s Photocopy Collage

Lesley Schiff uses simple photocopy technology and found objects to make profoundly emotional work. Ghostly prints made with 1980s office machines anticipate our present day society, immersed in consumerism and tech culture. Suspended between life and death, trapped in time like a feather in amber, Schiff’s 1981 series “Seasons” uses photocopy technology to preserve everyday objects with light. This portfolio of twenty-four Xerox prints is typical printer paper size. Each of the prints shows a unique color image made by collaging two-dimensional and three-dimensional props on the scanner bed.

Katrina Slavik was part of Kolaj Institute’s Curating Collage Workshop  in Fall 2020.  Slavik got in touch with Schiff to speak to her about the 1981 series “Seasons” and her life and work as an artist since then. 

Katrina Slavik’s article about Lesley Schiff appears in Kolaj 33. To see the entire article, http://kolajmagazine.com/content/content/articles/fog-on-the-glass/

Butterfly from “Seasons” by Lesley Schiff 10.5”x8.5”; color xerography print; 1981. Courtesy of the artist.

Schiff was one of the first artists to pioneer photocopier artwork. At first, she came up against some technical problems. In my research, I noticed that some prints were slightly different from one another. After talking with the artist, it turns out that the differences aren’t intentional. Xerox’s color copying at the time was, in Schiff’s own words, “primitive technology”. Sometimes the machine in the print shop would malfunction. Other times, she had to reprint and this caused the slight variations.

“Seasons” is deeply rooted in American culture. The bright printer-ink color tones refer to Pop art pioneers like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. In the 80s, technology was just becoming a vital part of everyday life. The prints are made in thirty seconds with the push of a button. The work idolizes technology and instant gratification. To make the prints, Schiff must strike a balance between soulless automation and human decision making. The results are startlingly emotional and human.

Giclee prints by Lesley Schiff 2019 Courtesy of the artist

Lesley Schiff holds a BFA in Painting from The Art Institute of Chicago. Schiff has lectured and conducted seminars at The Art Institute of Chicago, Syracuse University, The School of Visual Arts, Southern Methodist University, and the International Center of Photography, among others. Since 1974, her work has been shown widely in the US and Europe, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2018) and The Whitney Museum of American Art (2017). Learn more at www.lesleyschiff.com.

Katrina Slavik holds a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art.