DM (Direct Mail)
In 2020, despite the pandemic, we received a substantial amount of DMs.
DM: A promotional medium announcing exhibitions; an abbreviation for direct mail.
“DM of the Year” is a feature we’ve been compiling since 2018, and thanks to the surprisingly strong response, we’ve decided to write it again this year.
This article is an award we present to DMs that transcend their role as mere promotional tools and demonstrate a truly distinctive presence, showcasing the wonderful DMs we encountered in 2020.
Over the past year, we’ve been keeping DMs that caught our eye in a dedicated box, and we’ve now looked back over our carefully selected favorites.
* This is a personal, subjective selection by the editor-in-chief of this site.
If you’d like to send DMs to our site, please contact us here.
2020 Best DM
Among the exhibitions held in 2020, the DMs we received were fewer than usual due to the pandemic, and there were not many that were especially noteworthy. There were many pieces that used masks themselves as DMs, or that showed care in printing techniques or shapes, but this year we would like to feature just one.
Sachiko Kazama “Cement Cemetery”
Sachiko Kazama’s solo exhibition “Cement Cemetery,” held from February to March 2020 at Mujin-to Production.
She is an artist well known for her single-print woodcuts.
True to Sachiko Kazama’s style of presenting prints as unique works, and in line with the exhibition’s theme, each DM had part of its surface finished with hardened cement.
The cement seems relatively fragile, so the DM is sealed inside a vinyl package.
It is a DM with such presence that it functions as part of the work itself.
2020 Best DM <Honorable Mention>
Ayako Rokkaku Exhibition Trading Cards
Another piece we selected was the promotional material for Ayako Rokkaku’s exhibition “Magic Hand” held at the Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art.
It took the form of trading cards — three photographs of works from the exhibition enclosed in a single set — and was distributed free of charge.
We picked up ours at the GALLERY TARGET booth at the art fair “art TNZ” held in September 2020.
Although not exactly a DM in form, it carried a strong advertising and promotional character and was produced as publicity for the exhibition.
It also included initiatives distinctly Ayako Rokkaku’s own, so we’ve included it as an honorable mention.
Furthermore, whether intended or not, its appearance on flea-market apps like Mercari served as a kind of web-promotion function. * The bags containing the cards were printed with the exhibition title, venue, and dates.
In closing
DMs that artists and galleries have deeply considered function not only as means of transmitting information, but also as collectible items that can be enjoyed even after the exhibition ends.
Looking at DMs from past solo exhibitions can sometimes bring the installation view of the venue back to mind. Framing them in a simple photo frame is fun, and putting them straight on the wall with something like Hittsuki-mushi adhesive can also be enjoyable.
May 2021 be a year in which the pandemic subsides, even a little, and many exhibitions can be held…
We look forward to encountering more wonderful DMs that take us by surprise.
