Extract from “Non Stop Poetry: The Zines of Mark Gonzales” out now!

Non Stop Poetry: The Zines of Mark Gonzales, published by Printed Matter, Inc. and limited edition of only 2,000 copies, is the comprehensive presentation of the zines made by Gonzales from the early-’90s to the present day. Featuring an introduction by Kim Gordon and contributions from Rita Ackermann, Maurizio Cattelan, Cameron Jamie, Harmony Korine, Aaron Rose, Steven Salardino, Tom Sachs, Jocko Weyland, and more.

Gonzales, thought by many to be the greatest skateboarder of all time, is revealed by this significant book to deserve equal recognition as an artist and poet. His extraordinary production of more than 145 zines (the exact number is unknown since Gonzales kept no records of his output), is a remarkable artistic achievement worthy of the careful analysis and documentation provided by this book. Gonzales zines are made spontaneously using an argot all his own and demonstrate a remarkable gift for verse and drawing.

“During my many years of working with Mark Gonzales in the nineties, one thing I realized was that he hated to go to his own exhibition openings. I cannot even list how many times we would fly to some exotic city, install the exhibition for a week, and then when the opening reception came around, Mark would just vanish. Sometimes I wouldn’t see him until late the next afternoon, at which time he never offered an explanation as to his whereabouts. One time in Tokyo, however, he surprised us. This was one of those installs that ran way behind schedule, and we were actually hanging artwork right up to about an hour before the opening. As soon as the last piece was hung, as usual, Mark disappeared. I was used to this. The exhibition opened and crowds of young Gonz fans showed up for a glimpse of their hero and possibly a much coveted signature on their T-shirts, skateboards, or whatever. Everyone kept asking, “Where’s Mark?” Answers to which I ducked and dodged like the pro I had become. Then, about an hour into the party, in walks Mark. He’s got an envelope under his arm from a small Tokyo photocopy shop. He then proceeded to sit down at the desk and assemble the zines right there. If I remember it was an edition of 10, and he had written all the poems and made all the drawings for it in the short hour he was away. That zine (Special Booklet for Alleged Tokyo Show) is included in this book. It’s one of his best.” – Aaron Rose

Mark Gonzales will be signing copies of his book tonight from 7pm at the NY Art Book Fair presented by Printed Matter, Inc., New York.

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