MacLean 705
Ben Kinmont: Publications by the Antinomian Press
from 15 November
MacLean 705, a project space located within an office atrium of the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago, is pleased to present an exhibition of publications by the Antinomian Press, a
publishing project by the artist Ben Kinmont.
The history of the Antinomian Press, as explained by Kinmont, is as follows:
In 1990 I began to conduct projects out on the street. The first was "I am for you" and it involved the distribution
of four different flyers, or "catalytic texts" as I called them, to 11,750 people. For the following several years I
wrote, printed, and distributed "catalytic texts" as a means to initiate my projects. Then, in 1995, I thought of
expanding the activity to include the projects of others with a focus on ephemera and archival material.
In 1995, in an effort to understand and clarify what I was doing, I decided to leave my galleries. At first, I wrote
project descriptions, listed the contents of the archives, and then mailed the publication to friends and a few others
that I thought were interested in similar issues. But then, after speaking with a friend, I realized that I could also
make publications about others, including those in the past whose works might have been forgotten and were only
reachable through their notebooks and archives. It was then that the Antinomian Press began.
The Antinomians were radical Protestants who were well known for their attack on ecclesiastical government and
for advocating religious freedom. Among the Antinomian groups were writers who argued for the common
ownership of property and against the privatization of public space; for all members of society to have a say in
government; and for the freedom of speech and open assembly. However, as much as these radicals were
precursors to Enlightenment thought, they were also considered by many to be heretics and advocates of anarchy.
The Antinomians also occupy an important place in mid-17th century English printing history. Due to the English
Civil War, there was a sudden collapse of censorship and a subsequent exponential increase in the printing of
broadsides and tracts. Much of this street literature was devoted to radical religious and political debate and this
idea of those on the margins utilizing print to get their ideas out to others, seemed a worthwhile reference point
for a publishing venture about project art and its precedents. It was also a way for me to consider project art
within a context larger than that of the contemporary art scene.
A practical note about distribution: whenever possible, the publications are given away for free. If you wish to
print, distribute, or exhibit any of them, it is not necessary to inform me. I just ask that you continue the
distribution in the spirit for which it was intended and remember to change the colophon page to reflect the place
of publication, the date, and number of copies printed.
A final note about our printer's mark: the figure used on our colophon page is a detail from a copper engraving in
Benjamin Spencer's Chrysomeson; a golden meane or a middle way for Christians to walk by, London, 1659. The
frontispiece is remarkable for its depiction of numerous different radical groups from the Interregnum period
including the Adamites, Brownists, Familists, Levellers, Quakers, and Seekers as well as the Antinomians.
Ben Kinmont
Sebastopol, California
October, 2011
Ben Kinmont is an artist, publisher, and antiquarian bookseller living in Sebastopol, California.
His work is concerned with the value structures surrounding an art practice and what happens
when that practice is displaced into a non­art space. Since 1988 his work has involved an
interest in archiving and blurring the boundaries between artistic production, publishing, and
curatorial practices. In the past few years he has taught courses in the Social Practices
Program at the California College of Arts as well as organized various workshops with
students from the École des Beaux­Arts in France (Angers, Bordeaux, Bourges, and
Valence), Cranbrook Academy of Art, and the Rietveld Academy in Holland. His exhibitions
include Air de Paris (Paris), ICA (London), CNEAI (Chatou), the 25th International Biennial of
Graphic Arts (Ljubljana), Frac Languedoc­Roussillon (Montpellier), Documenta 11 (Kassel),
Les Abattoirs (Toulouse), the Pompidou (Paris), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art. A traveling survey of Kinmont’s work entitled “Prospectus” toured Amsterdam, Paris,
New York, and San Francisco between 2009-2012. Kinmont will be exhibiting in the 2014
Whitney Biennial. He is represented by Galerie Air de Paris, Paris.
MacLean 705 is a project space devoted to short-term exhibitions that explore the space of art
and human relations. The projects are organized by Joseph Grigely and administered by the
Department of Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The
space is open when the door of MacLean 705 is open, and by appointment. Please contact
[email protected] for further information.
Ben Kinmont: Publications by the Antinomian Press. Installation detail, MacLean 705, November 2013.
Ben Kinmont in conversation with students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, November 12, 2013.
The Antinomian Press publishing the Project Series: Christopher D'Archangelo from a van outside the Louvre, March 5, 2005.