EWAN, Ruth 'All things are common (Stephanie)' poster stack (2008)

Ruth Ewan, 'All Things Are Common (Stephanie)' 2008

A stack of 2,500 free posters first presented at Liste, Basel.

Ruth Ewan's (b.1980, Aberdeen) work engages brilliantly with social politics, protest and propaganda, unearthing forgotten heroes and idiosyncratic historical laws and customs to generate a deeper understanding of our present attitudes to radical ideas and social justice. Not heeding the usual warnings, she has worked on numerous projects with young children and small animals, of which this beautifully produced poster is one example. Several versions of this print have been made, each time the image is coloured in by a different child and reproduced as a free poster stack. The first version 'All things...(Stephanie)' was distributed at the Liste Art Fair in Basel in 2008, and again at Sandra Buergel gallery in 2009. Subsequently, three different versions were made for each of the touring venues of the exhibition in which the work was included, Rank: Picturing the Social Order 1516 -2009, which originated at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art - for exhibition information visit http://www.ngca.co.uk/home/default.asp?id=147

The work itself is derived from a copy of an early 17th century engraving satirising the Anabaptist belief in the sharing of common goods. The image, re-drawn by Ewan, has been coloured by a 12 year old girl from Buckhaven, Scotland. Each time it is shown again, Ewan specifies that the work should be re-coloured by a different child. Socialists, including Friedrich Engels, adopted Thomas Müntzer, a German Anabaptist and rebel leader of the Peasants’ War, as an icon of early class struggle. They believed Müntzer was a revolutionary who utilised biblical language to articulte his radical ideology and promote a new egalitarian society. One of his battle cries was omnia sunt communia, all things are common.

Free and wide distribution of her work is an important aspect of Ewan's practice. This and several of her other booklets and multiples are available by request through her website: www.ruthewan.com