Array is the most ambitious project published by Manneken Press to date. Consisting of 20 circular woodcut prints by Rupert Deese, the Array project, which commenced with the publication of Array 700 in 2005, followed by Array 350 and Array 500 in 2006, culminated in the publication of Array 1000 in 2012. In each of the Array prints, Deese divides the space of the circle into unique tiling patterns, using nine equal radial divisions. He then sub-divides these pie shapes into equal areas using additional radial lines and inscribed circles. While essentially abstract, the Array images have a tangential relationship to the landscape and watersheds of the upper Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in California, an area beloved by the artist which has inspired much of his artistic output. An earlier eponymous sequence of monochrome painted objects that accurately model the topographical shapes of this landscape was the genesis of the tiling patterns, and the Array opus can be seen as a continued meditation on the configuration of this geography.
Rupert Deese is an artist whose paintings and prints have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Deese’s work is included in many public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Nevada Museum of Art. Deese has created over 45 print editions at Manneken Press. He lives and works in New York City.