Whitney Museum of American Art acquires two books by Victor Van

Interact is thrilled to announce that the Frances Mulhall Achilles Library at the Whitney Museum of American Art has acquired two artist books by Victor Van. The acquisition follows two other major museum acquisitions of Van's work earlier this year, made by the Walker Art Center and the Minnesota Historical Society. The Whitney's acquisition was initiated during the Outsider Art Fair in New York, where Van's books were shown alongside work by seven other Interact artists.

Exploring translations of found text, audio, images, and animations, Van's books are part of a larger body of work that he has continued for over a decade. In Old Battleships by saye0036, Van transcribes found text from the website fanfiction.net, creating a devotional physical form for a story that was posted on the message board in 2016. Over the course of 384 pages, Van handwrites the story in ink, incorporating elements of the Kingsman and James Bond movie franchises. In KS95 Best Variety Songs 2017-18, Van transcribes the lyrics of songs that played on the Twin Cities radio station over a two-year period. 

Van's books will be added to the Whitney's Frances Mulhall Achilles Library, a comprehensive research collection in the field of twentieth century and contemporary American art. Of paramount importance to American art research and scholarship, the library's collections of books, periodicals, archives, and special collections are accessed by the Whitney's own staff as well as by visiting scholars, researchers, and the public. 

Van (b. 1993) has practiced at Interact since 2016. He presented his debut solo exhibition, Great Expectations, at Open Studio Gallery in New York City earlier this year, in conjunction with a showing of his work at the Outsider Art Fair.

Image: Victor Van, Old Battleships by saye0036, 2017, hand bound artist book, 5.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches.