Efficiency Totems
Tal Beery, Efficiency Totems (2011). Stoneware, 9 x 23 inches.
Tal Beery’s Efficient Self-Reproduction Series examines the link between his creativity and productivity while facing financial pressures as an emerging artist. Each Efficiency Totem features two self-portraits stacked one on the other, with the top self-portrait prepared more efficiently than the bottom. Each self-portrait features an engraved item number, the precise duration of its completion, and the specific dates on which it was crafted. Beery cut production time by 50% in less than three months.