Horses, 1986

In 1986 the Starn twins were commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston to produce an edition of one hundred prints. Each of the works produced for the edition, of which the present lot is part, is unique, though they all derive from the same negative. The works vary in color and pattern; in that some are collages and some are straight photographs; and in how they are each uniquely toned and manipulated by the artists. Like some of their contemporaries, such as Mark Morrisroe, the Starns wanted to draw attention to the surface of their photographic prints, which they achieved by variously staining, toning, scratching and wrinkling both the negatives and the prints themselves. In the the case of the present lot, the result of such manipulations creates a kaleidoscopic work rich in texture and in reticulated tonalities.