Robert Filliou
A World of False Finger­prints

At the beginning of 1975, the exhibition Robert Filliou. A World of False Fingerprints (Part 1) showed all 98 exemplars of the edition of the same name. The two-part edition consists of a square wooden box, in the bottom of which Filliou has drawn the portrait of an artist, a writer or a historical figure in pencil (in fact, only six women are included). Under each of the small, sketchy portraits, he has added his own fingerprint in black stamping ink. The name of the person(s) portrayed is written on the bottom edge of the box, while the title of the edition and the artist’s signature appear on the top edge. Part of the edition is also an offset print that documents the entire “World of False Fingerprints” project and serves as a certificate. In alphabetical order, the names of all those portrayed can be found here in small square fields, each with a fingerprint of the artist. On the sheet with 98 name fields – the first and last fields refer to the continuation of the project – the name and fingerprint of each field are pasted over with a reference to the corresponding object: “See Original No. …” is written on a small paper sticker, followed by the artist’s number and signature. Documentation and certificate are thus intertwined and, above all, identify the portrait box in its unique character. Filliou’s edition A World of False Fingerprints questions the testimonial power of the fingerprint, plays with originality and truth, and sets a real (Filliou’s) fingerprint (the unmistakable trace of a person) against the false assignment to a drawn likeness (a portrait that follows the principle of similarity). What is wrong? What is right? In Filliou’s World of False Fingerprints, there is in fact one correct assignment of a fingerprint: it can be found on the invitation card to the 1975 exhibition of the same name at the Block Gallery and is that of the artist.
Text: Birgit Eusterschulte