Assume Vivid Astro Focus ─ Overstimulation As Situationist Derive and Detournement

The acronym for this book's title--avaf (always lower case)--is the name of an artist collective founded by Brazilian-born, New York-based artist Eli Sudbrack (b.1968), who also goes by that name. This book features photos of avaf's wildly colorful installation projects created between 2003 and 2009, and, for a fuller experience, offers a website of musical accompaniment. The only text--somewhat difficult to read (because of font & paper color choices)--is a two-page essay by art writer Rabinowitz (senior editor, Parkett magazine from 1998-2007), and an introductory essay by independent curator Natalie Kovacs (she specializes in performance-based public art projects). The volume's pages are not numbered, but there must be at least a couple hundred pages presenting images of the group's outrageously exuberant multi-media projects. The artwork and the vision are out-sized, and, as might be expected, the book is also big: 10x13". avaf has received mainstream attention from the Whitney Museum, the Modern Art Museum (NY), and numerous art world magazines. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Cay Sophie Rabinowitz was a senior editor at Parkette magazine for seven years. She has written numerous articles for publications including Artforum and Interview.

Natalie Kovacs is a Toronto-based curator.