Untitled, from the Olive Press Print Portfolio II: 1992–1993

Here David Diao documented the complete artistic output of painter Barnett Newman, arranging the data into vertical columns by medium and date. Newman was a major figure of Abstract Expressionism known for his “zip” paintings, a term he coined that refers to a signature motif of thin painted stripes spanning the vertical height of a canvas, meant to draw the viewer into an intensely physical and emotional experience.

Diao began making works that catalogued and sequenced Newman’s oeuvre after reading that Newman created only 120 zip paintings in total. In this print, Diao appropriated Newman’s iconic compositions, arranging the data into chronological columns that ironically mimic zips. By replacing Newman’s zips with mechanical lists of numbers, Diao overturned and demystified Newman’s awe-inspiring paintings.