About

Getting Upper is Amos Klausner. Getting Upper is fine art, street art and graffiti all rolled into one. Why? Lan­guage is something to be deconstructed. The study of deconstruction and the works of philosophers like Jacques Derrida is at the heart of my own interest in understanding how words can work. Derrida celebrated the innate ambiguity of language and suggested that words have different meanings based on each reader’s past expe­riences, cultural connections, or social influences. This idea, that language and texts are constantly open to interpretation, is core to my letterpress print making.

My rural community uses an old fashioned list serv to share information. The content can be straightforward but it’s also odd, humorous or heartfelt. I use this content as the basis for my work and the result is this ongoing series of prints created at a small print studio in Point Reyes, California. 

Beyond the deconstruction that happens when I strip context away and allow the reader to apply their own lens to decode meaning, the process of creating the work is a personal meditation. The act of setting type is slow, often resulting in mistakes that have to be corrected. I find setting type to be a great way to concentrate on something outside my head. I’m also creating a unique biographical portrait of my small community. Email me: aklausner (at) yahoo (dot com)