Seth Price’s project Folklore U.S. (2012 – 2014) includes a series of fabric sculptures produced within the commercial garment industry, a series of wall-hung plywood works, vacuum-formed sculptures, and a line of military-inspired clothing made in collaboration with fashion designer Tim Hamilton. To varying degrees the works address the motif of the standard business envelope, both as container and symbol, often employing envelope interior security patterns composed of either abstract designs or corporate logos. The project debuted at dOCUMENTA(13), where Price installed the plywood works and garment sculptures within the exhibition halls, and arranged for the clothing line to be sold in a Kassel department store, all kicked off with a one-night fashion show. 

The publication Folklore U.S. addresses the project as a site of intersection between the contemporary fields of finance, cultural critique, industry, labor, and aesthetics. It includes three interviews between various contributors to the project (Seth Price and Christopher Bollen, Bosko Blagojevic and Ben Morgan-Cleveland, Bettina Funcke and Ben Morgan-Cleveland) giving insight into the labor and concepts involved, and using anecdote and speculation to guide readers through fabrication processes, materials, and industry protocols. Accompanying these conversations are more than 250 images, immersing readers in the cycle of production and presentation, and tracing the works from New York’s Garment District to factories in Korea and China, art galleries, and German department stores. The book also includes a new text by Price.

The launch at Artists Space will feature a reading from the book by Price, as well as a temporary shop selling the Folklore U.S. military-inspired garments produced by Price and Hamilton

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