In the experimental artistic simmer of the late 1950 s, the everyday creativity of letter writing gave rise to a veritable movement that of “mail art,” an antiestablishment, anything goes mode of serial imaginative expression whose inclusive nature has kept it alive even into the Digital Age In early 2020 two artists met virtually and decided to create a body of work together using the mail and social media as their connection
They were unaware that is project would be shaped by a worldwide pandemic This blend of creative and intellectual exchange became a part and parcel of their mail art experience Both Jennifer Rae Forsyth and Shireen Ikramullah Khan began a series of postcard-sized pieces respectively starting from the first day of spring during the year 2020 Having never met in person, they embarked on a project during the omnipresent pandemic They left enough mental and physical space for each other to contribute to each other’s pieces Jennifer in Edmonton, Canada and Shireen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and later Berlin, Germany It was like a story where one artist would begin with an image, and the other artist would begin to add her own story, apropos of continuing the story and her own imagination Both Jennifer and Shireen felt connected to a wider movement that in fact reached out to people who were isolated by posting their pieces on social media once a week On the following Thursday each week of the year that followed the postcards were posted on social media and compiled to be mailed so they could be worked into.
One year later the two artists have created 104 posts, or 52 artworks, one for each week, some presented as diptychs The artworks, created on watercolor postcards measuring 14 8 cm x 10 5 cm and 12 5 x 18 cm respectively, are mixed media collage works with watercolor acrylic gouache, and ink Each work was mailed with correspondence on the reverse and returned, completed by the other with a corresponding letter As 2020 unfolded and Jennifer and Shireen found themselves facing varied levels of lockdown The works reflected this The work incorporates maps and floorplans, airplane safety instructions, found images and text, drawing, painting, and handwriting Over the year the images and marking evolved and changed.
Their everyday aesthetic experiences had a profound impact on their lives, their corresponding identity and view of the world The imagery by each respective artist came to influence each other The underset layers of colors the aesthetically composed collage, linear qualities creating dimensions into other worlds are clearly recognizable By introducing geometric, biomorphic forms and content in our work, the imagery tends to be emotionally along with being
disquieting In the end it widened the space in which they understood art could be made and pushed boundaries In a manner of speaking, this contemporary practice spoke to the same ethos of mail art, being freely given and collaborative.
Nothing beat the experience of sending and receiving classic, tangible mail art (Jennifer Rae Forsyth and Shireen Ikramullah Khan)