Keith Bates
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Keith Bates is an English Mail-Artist. He is well known for his designs and original projects, and he has been active in Mail art since the 1980s.
Keith Bates - Personal Mail Art History
Keith Bates was born in Liverpool, England in 1951 and works as an Art & Design teacher at a Salford High School. He has contributed to international mail art shows since his introduction to networking in 1983 at an Open University "Art & Environment" Summer School. He has also organised his own mail art projects since that time. He is best known for his anti-Tourist stance, hence his 'Eclectic Hermit' nickname, and projects such as the English Suppressionists and Cuttings for the Studio Floor. His Ersatz Ephemera pieces turn humble tickets into mailartworks and can be seen at www.keithbates.co.uk together with three downloadable mailart inspired songs, and the documentation for the recent projects, Abstract Realism and the Mailart Typeface, which is also available to download. His font designs are available from www.k-type.com.
1983 Comic to Comic - Comic book documentation of 9 x 9 cm frames contributions from mailartists.
1984 Another Stamp Album - A stamp album of mailartists' stamp designs.
1985 Ticket Art - Artist-designed tickets, collages and found tickets. The mail art show, "Just the Ticket" was displayed at Didsbury Library, Manchester in January 1986.
1986 - 1987 Elements - Mailartists were asked for a small part of their visual art, their written work and their sound (on audio cassette).
1988 The Eclectic Hermit - Composite booklet.
1990 Jigsaw - Blank jigsaw pieces were sent to mailartists, worked into and returned for assembly and documentation.
1991 Jackson Pollock's Shoes - Accidental masterpieces from famous artists documented as a spoof Christie's auction catalogue.
1991 Receipts Project - Lifesize sculpture of the 'Global Shopper' and shopping trolley covered with shopping receipts, made during Activity Week at Joseph Eastham School.
1993 The English Suppressionists - Mailart project about 'Englishness'. The first English Suppressionist Exhibition held at Brighton Marina Arts Index Gallery.
1995 Artists' Cheques - Artist-designed bank cheques culminating in the Artistcheckbooks sent to each participant. Displayed in London, York and in Holland.
1996 Cuttings for the Studio Floor (Joint project with Leanda Ryan) - Mailartists were asked for a small part of their work for a collaged floor at 2 Ferngate Drive.
1999 Proxy Tape Cassette Edition of mail art inspired music.
2000 MailBox Friends / Nonstamps Mail art essays.
1992 to Date - Ersatz Ephemera - Ongoing project collecting and reworking ephemeral objects such as tickets, labels etc.
2001 Our Day Out Mailartists asked to document a Day Trip for an exhibition at Joseph Eastham High School, Salford.
2002 Abstract Realism - Mailartists invited to join the Abstract Realists, a post post-modern movement of multiple manifestos.
2004 Mailart Font - Artists invited to send one character for the Mailart Typeface.