Accession Number
1986/2.64.1

Title
Singapore Sling

Artist(s)
Joan Effertz

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1985

Medium & Support
collagraph and relief print on paper

Dimensions
20 15/16 in x 18 1/8 in (53.18 cm x 46.04 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Claire Spitler


Subject matter
As part of a portfolio created by the women-led studio "Tiger Lily Press," Effertz's work shows the innovative printmaking techniques highlighted in this portfolio. Effertz became the director of Tiger Lily Press the year this portfolio was produced, serving through 1991. The second group edition, produced at the 4th Street studio of the Press in Cinncinati, was titled "IMAGES" and was a compilation by six artists who self-published, packaged, and distributed the edition to various museum collections, including UMMA. The other artists included in the porfolio were Barbara Young, Charles Grund, April Foster, Mary Mark, and Philippe LeJeune. 

The title of this work takes its name from a cocktail created in Singapore in 1915. At the turn of the century, it was considered inappropriate for women to be drinking alcohol in public, thus a bartender created this drink that blended fruit juices with grenadine and cherry brandy among other things so that women could partake in social drinking outings. Effertz took this subject of feminine modesty as a starting point in order to subvert it with abstract forms and bold colors. Effertz remarks that her work is often meant to provoke questions about human nature through the use of form and color.

Physical Description
This relief bleed print shows an abstract image. There are two large dark purple rectangular forms coming from each side of the image, with dark purple squiggles that come from under the rectangular shapes. The background is made of light pink and lavender forms with orange forms also in the lower portion of the image. The print is signed, titled, and editioned by the artist in white along the bottom edge "4/20 Singapore Sling J. Effertz". 

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
abstract

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
abstraction
beverages
collagraph printing
collagraphs (prints)
feminism
modern and contemporary art
women (female humans)