Blad 2 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1930 - 1936

This page from a register of students at a Colonial School for Girls and Women was made in The Hague, sometime between 1930 and 1949. Look at the marks the students and administrators make; they’re more than writing, they’re images! The hand-written names and notes, along with pasted-in photographs, remind me that artmaking is a process of accumulation, of layering, and of adding. Each mark, each picture adds to a story. Look at the signatures scrawled next to the photos. They feel like little drawings. I love how they take up space on the page, crossing over the lines. They are a kind of performance. This record-keeping form reminds me that art is often functional, as well as beautiful, even a little rebellious. Like the work of On Kawara, this piece makes me reflect on the nature of time and the power of art to commemorate everyday life. It suggests that everything holds more than one meaning.