What is Mail Art?

Mail Art can be as simple as having lots of artist penfriends and exchanging art by post. It's also a bit deeper than that.

Since the 1960s, the Mail Art network has been made up of thousands of artists, each with their own group of contacts, each in a state of flux as artists come and go, and friendships ebb and flow. Like the Internet which followed it, the Mail Art network is decentralised with each participant at their own focal point.

Mail Art often operates through 'Calls' or invitations which request contributions on a particular theme, often with specific media, size and deadline requirements. There is no controlling authority or leadership, but Mail Art Projects and Shows have their own protocols – no fees, no jury, and documentation which has traditionally been printed and mailed to participants, though it has now become common practice to display contributions online. Paradoxically, project submission via email has been slow to gain widespread acceptance, though this is increasingly being welcomed as a respectable alternative to traditional mail.

I was introduced to the inclusive club of Mail Art in the early 1980s at an Open University Summer School in Norwich, when I attended a course called 'Networking' organised by the Polish artist Henryk Gajewski. In Mail Art I found the social outlet for my artworks that I was missing, and anyone who could afford postage stamps could join in. I'd also found a source of inspiration and enlightenment that leapfrogged geographical and political boundaries.

Cameraderie – Mailartist Photoportraits

The 'Cameraderie' Mailartist Photogallery has now been dismantled after four years online, though the photographs of mailartists can still be downloaded from this website. Although many mailartists visit each other, I've tended to shy away from that expectation but was still fascinated to see what my correspondents look like. The Cameraderie project put faces to many a legend.

What Now?

In recent years, my passion for designing K-Type fonts has to some extent superseded my Mail Art activities. I still enjoy sending artworks to Mail Art projects that interest me, but I've not been inspired to set up a new project of my own for a few years. Although Vittore Baroni and I have recently written an updated Mail Art Wikipedia page, Vittore's adoption of 2010 as a year for 'Art Detox' suited my current mood perfectly. While I wouldn't rule out a new mail art action in the future, I'm content at present to focus on fontmaking and join in with the mail art game when inspiration strikes. The Exemption Order below is a tongue-in-cheek excusal from Mail Art duties.