Ulises: Assembly

Ulises: Assembly, is a residency and exhibition engaging the labor of bookworkers from the Philadelphia-based collective Ulises. Founded in 2016 and run by members Nerissa Cooney, Lauren Downing, Kayla Romberger, Gee Wesley, and Ricky Yanas, the bookshop and project space explores the relationships between publics and publications through projects, exhibitions, and residencies asking: “what do you do?” as a means of delving into the printed matters of art publishing today. This project aims to render visible labor, friendships, conviviality, and collectivity of bookworkers as a tribute to their chaotic communality. Ulises: Assembly will be presented at TUAG’s Grossman & Anderson Galleries at SMFA at Tufts campus at 230 Fenway, Boston from August 13 through November 10, 2024 and is the first institutional residency and solo exhibition of the collective.

The collective will realize a bookshop and workshops with a curated selection of collaborators including Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Lizania Cruz, and BB Workshop, Gerrit Rietveld Academie/Sandberg Instituut at the SMFA campus in dialogue with faculty and students. The SMFA public billboard is contributed by Ulises collaborator Ken Lum, and featured graphics are designed by Ulises collaborator Kristian Henson.

Generous support for TUAG programming is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.

Image: Installation shot of the Bidoun Library at Ulises during Publishing As Practice: Bidoun, November 2018. Photo: Constance Mensh.