Installation View of Selected SHOJI Works
2020-2023
red carbon frottage, mixed media on Shoji Rice Paper
36" x 24" each
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 102, 103'
2020
layered red carbon frottage on an acrylic mixed with gum arabic painted surface
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 134, 152'
2020
layered red carbon frottage on an acrylic mixed with gum arabic painted surface
Towards the end of the 19th Century, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States was the most successful in the world.
LEFT Photo: The headquarters of the 'Equitable Life Building' in New York City was completed in 1870.
RIGHT Photo: The address of the Palais Equitable Building in Vienna belongs to the most exclusive ones in all of Austria. It was completed for the American Company in 1891.
My 4 month–long ritual at dawn making frottages of the building's footprint, or rather, Vienna's Mythical Center.
The process of frottage using red carbon paper. Even the police came to watch.
During the frottage process, paper was always placed horizontally along the building’s footprint. The upper half of the paper would receive the rubbed impression of exterior architectural details while its bottom half would receive the rubbed impression from the corresponding ground.

How Do You Restructure Form? No. 13, 2020

Red carbon paper rubbing on Silberburg B. Handmade paper, acrylic, ink and gum arabic

38” x 25”


Photo Documentation by Leonhard Hilzensauer

'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 6, 53, 91'
layered red carbon paper frottage on Silberburg B. Handmade paper, acrylic, ink and gum arabic
38" x 25"

This piece is in the early stages. It becomes transformed with a plethora of mixed media and is seen again with a blue embryo–like form. It is the only piece suspended to be viewed from both sides. Continue to scroll down to see it in its final state.

Q21 Art Residency Studio Shot. At the beginning I would always cover back up the red carbon marks with the same color paint as the paper.
2020
Q21 Art Residency Studio Shot: A few weeks into the project, I began using espresso to stain the rice paper to give it an aged look like that of Indian Tantric Drawings.
2020

Autumn 2021: Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn, allowed me to temporarily spread the works out in one of the un-rented basement studios so I could see the works together again.

The late Nineteenth Century, American built, Palais Equitable, has a complex history that embodies the Mythical Center of Vienna, Austria. The presence of a nail-tree talisman (aka ‘Der Stock im Eisen’)—Vienna’s oldest landmark from the Middle Ages—is located in one of its exterior corners.
'How Do You Restructure Form?” Nos. 33, 43, 68, 69'
layered red carbon frottage, acrylic and gum arabic, pastel, ink on espresso stained Silberburg Paper
38" x 25"
Installation View of SILBERBURG at the Old American Can Factory (OACF)
2025
layered red carbon frottages and mixed media on Silberburg Handmade paper
38" x 25" each
DETAIL of Installation of SILBERBURG at the OACF
2025
layered red carbon frottages transformed through mixed media
38" x 25" each
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 44, 47, 79, 84, 86, 87'
2020-2023
Silberburg B. Handmade paper, layered red carbon paper frottages, ink, acrylic, gouache and gum Arabic, pastel, watercolor, marker, scratched and pulled paper, oil pastel, espresso
38" x 25"
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 44, 47, 79, 84, 86, 87,'
Silberburg B. Handmade paper, layered red carbon paper frottages, ink, acrylic, gouache and gum Arabic, pastel, watercolor, marker, scratched and pulled paper, oil pastel, espresso
Installation View of select SILBERBURG, RED SHOJI, MASA papers at the Old American Can Factory, Gowanus, Brooklyn
2020-2025
layered red carbon frottage, mixed media on various paper
'How Do You Restructure Form? Installation View of RED SHOJI Paper'
2020-2025
layered red carbon frottage, iodine mixed with red pigment, conventional mixed media on espresso-stained Shoji Paper
36" x 24" each
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos.15, 82'
Paper tape follows the reverse side of layered red carbon frottage, iodine mixed with red pigment, watercolor, ink, on espresso-stained Shoji Paper
36" x 24"
'How Do You Restructure Form? No. 23, 192'
2020-2024
stitched with cotton, gouache, gum arabic, oil paste, ink, iodine, espresso-stained red carbon frottage on SHOJI Paper
36" x 24"
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? No. 23, 192,'
stitched with cotton, gouache, gum arabic, oil paste, ink, iodine, espresso-stained red carbon frottage on SHOJI Paper
How Do You Restructure Form? Installation View of MASA Paper'
2020-2025
layered red carbon frottages, mixed media on espresso and iodine stained Masa Paper
30" x 20" each
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 51, 54, 72, 112'
2020-2021
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, used as a blotter for drenched materials to dry, watercolor, gel roller, espresso, pastel, ink, stitched with wool, pencil, cut and reassembled
30" x 20"
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 51, 54, 72, 112,'
2020-2023
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, used as a blotter for drenched materials to dry, watercolor, gel roller, espresso, pastel, ink, stitched with wool, pencil, cut and reassembled
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 22, 32, 59'
2020-2023
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, acrylic, espresso, pastel, ink, pencil, gel roller, cut and reassembled, stitched with wool
30" x 20"

Photo by Dario Lasagni

'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 36, 60, 121'
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, gel roller, pencil, oil and dry pastel, ink, stitched with wool and cotton,, stained with espresso, ink, red pigment mixed in with iodine, and watercolor, cut and reassembled
30" x 20"
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 36, 60, 121,'
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, gel roller, pencil, oil and dry pastel, ink, stitched with wool and cotton, stained with espresso, ink, red pigment mixed in with iodine, and watercolor, cut and reassembled
Installation View of single suspended Silberbrurg: 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 6, 53, 91'
38" x 25"

I work on both sides of the paper. This is one of two sides. In an exhibition setting, only one or a few select works on paper would be suspended to be seen on both sides.

BACKSIDE 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 6, 53, 91'
38" x 25"

Two of two sides.

I work on both sides of the paper. In an exhibition setting, only one or a few select works on paper would be suspended to be seen on both sides.

'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 6, 53, 91'
2020-2023
layered red carbon frottage covered with acrylic gum arabic mix, pastel, black dye, espresso stained, watercolor and ink, paper tape, stitched with wool lower third following the original frottage marks
38" x 25"
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 6, 53, 91'
layered red carbon frottage covered with acrylic gum arabic mix, pastel, black dye, espresso stained, watercolor and ink, paper tape, stitched with wool lower third following the original frottage marks
2020-2023
LEFT: How Do You Restructure Form? Chrome Blueprint No. 6 RIGHT: 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 45, 114, 115'
2020-2024
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, pastel, acrylic, pencil, ink, espresso, pastel, gel roller
19" x 25"

snap shot

DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 45, 114, 115'
red carbon paper frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, pastel, acrylic, pencil, ink, espresso, pastel, gel roller
19" x 25"

snap shot

DETAIL
How Do You Restructure Form? ChromeBlueprint No. 6
2020-2024
19" x 25"

snapshot

LEFT: 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 97, 99' RIGHT: 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 27, 52'
2020-2024

Both of these have original red carbon frottage marks from the building. Though laboriously worked on the opposite side, the RIGHT piece only exposes the stitch that covers the red carbon frottage marks. That right piece was used as a rubbing template for the LEFT work. The lines can be recognized in blue.

DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 97, 99

This detail shows the layers that this piece has experienced. The original red carbon frottage marks were made directly off the building's footprint. The blueprint marks were made last by using the raised texture of the stitched frottage.

Installation View of KITAKATA and HAHNEMUHLE Paper at the Old American Can Factory
2025
a combination of works that still have original red carbon frottage from the footprint of the Palais Equitable and those works that are twice removed from the footprint. The latter is accomplished by rubbing stitched frottages with Blue Pastel.
Set of Four: KITAKATA and HAHNEMUHLE Paper
2020-2025
19" x 25"
Chrome Blueprint No.19
2020-2024
layered wax and dry pastel frottages, iodine, ink, watercolor on HAHNEMUHLE Paper
19" x 25"

These frottage lines were made from existing red carbon frottage pieces whose marks were stitched over. In other words, frottages are two degrees removed from the original footprint of the Palais Equitable.

Chrome Blueprint No. 9
2020-2024
layered wax and dry pastel frottages, iodine, ink, watercolor on HAHNEMUHLE Paper
19" x 25"

These frottage lines were made from existing red carbon frottage pieces whose marks were stitched over. In other words, frottages are two degrees removed from the original footprint of the Palais Equitable.

LEFT: Chrome Blueprint No. 12/ RIGHT: 'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 65, 66'
2020-2025
layered red carbon and dry pastel frottages, mixed media
DETAIL
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 65, 66'
red carbon, wax and dry pastel frottage, gouache and gum Arabic, ink, espresso on Marker Paper

These frottage lines were made from existing red carbon frottage pieces whose marks were stitched over. In other words, frottages are two degrees removed from the original footprint of the Palais Equitable.

Blueprints 24 and 14: Two pieces of KITAKATA and HAHNEMUHLE
2020-2024
dry pastel frottage, mixed media on paper

These frottage lines were made from existing red carbon frottage pieces whose marks were stitched over. In other words, frottages are two degrees removed from the original footprint of the Palais Equitable.

Selected Installation View of KITAKATA and HAHNEMUHLE Paper
2020-2025
frottage and mixed media
20" x 16" and 19" x 25"
How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 3, 18, 28
2020-2024
This is an example of the surface that is used to make the blue frottage.
19" x 25"
'How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 3, 18, 28,'
2020-2024
DETAIL of stitched piece with thread

This is an example of the surface that is used to make the blue frottage.

Blueprint No. 20
2020-2024
dry pastel frottage, iodnie and watercolor
20" x 16"

This frottage was made by placing the above stitched piece underneath it and doing a rubbing. It is twice removed from the footprint of the Palais Equitable.

LEFT: Blueprint No. 20/ RIGHT: How Do You Restructure Form? Nos. 27, 52
2020-2024
Selection of KITAKATA and HAHNEMUHLE Paper works
2020-2025
Blueprint No. 27
2020-2025
dry pastel rubbing on Hahnemühle Paper
19" x 25"

This was made from existing red carbon frottage pieces whose marks were stitched over. In other words, frottages are two degrees removed from the original footprint of the Palais Equitable.


CLICK HERE to read 'Nicola Ginzel: How Do You Restructure Form?' in Art Spiel


All images and writing copyright Nicola Ginzel, 2010-2025

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