Museum of Old and New Art: Wim Delvoye

2011
Museum of Old and New Art
Hobart, Tasmania

The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is the brainchild of maverick art collector David Walsh, located in Hobart, Tasmania. It is the largest privately funded museum in Australia and presents art and artefacts from the diverse David Walsh collection. The work of Wim Delvoye provoked such a reaction in the permanent collection that Walsh decided to hold a larger exhibition of the Belgian artist’s work. Barnbrook worked in close collaboration with Delvoye’s studio to design the book that accompanied the show.

A square book arrives packaged in a cardboard box – alluding to the ephemerality of pizza takeaways and Delvoye’s interest in the digestive process. The disposable box sits in contrast with a precious cover printed on foil paper and featuring an image from the Double Helix series. The 200-page book features a foreword by MONA owner David Walsh, an essay by Bernard Marcadé and images of landmark pieces and works included in the exhibition.