This non-archival newsprint catalog was printed to coincide with the exhibition 100 Hooks at Blunk Space, December 16, 2023 – February 11, 2024.

100 Hooks featured over 100 esteemed artists and designers from the US, UK, Europe, Mexico, and Japan. The show is a continuation of JB Blunk’s seminal 1981 solo exhibition 100 Plates Plus held at David Cole Gallery in Inverness, California. In a nod to his training in Japan, Blunk’s plates denied the distinction between art and craft. Blunk enacted a particular synthesis of art and the objects of life, creating these functional objects thoughtfully and artfully throughout his career.

This exhibition consists of 100 different responses to the same brief: to create one hook of any size or material. Hooks, like plates, are utilitarian objects. Each participating artist and designer was invited as a result of an existing connection with Blunk’s work. From exhibiting at Blunk Space, a residency at his iconic home and studio, or through the inspiration of his oeuvre, each participant has been touched by Blunk’s legacy. Each of the artists and designers offers their own approach to materials, form, and process, but also the relationship of aesthetics to function.

The catalog features the full gamut of hooks, artists’ statements about their work and its connection to JB, and an essay about the history and significance of hooks by Blunk Estate and Blunk Space director Mariah Nielson.

Designed by Åbäke and printed by Newspaper Club in London, UK.