The artist’s stamp is an autonomous, small-format work of graphic art that appeared on the art scene in the second half of the twentieth century in the context of the Fluxus movement, Mail Art, and Conceptual Art. The distinctive feature of artist’s stamps is not only that they are disseminated through a global network of artists, but results in equal measure from the diversity of graphic techniques.

The fact that the artist’s stamp sets its own “stamp” on an (art) letter is one of the special features of this form of expression. A further facet of this small-format art is its challenging the mail monopoly by laying claim to the perforated and gummed miniature works of art. The stamps the artist’s create are not meant to swindle the postal service, but to call into question the right to design things. The focus in the exhibition will therefore be the artist’s stamp as an expression of independence and self-determination. Thus the title, Lick me!, is not only an invitation to “remain glued” to this exhibition, rather it also exemplifies the stance of a self-confident genre.

This exhibition by the Research Center for Artist’s Publications is being organized in cooperation with students of the fine arts from the University of Bremen. It affords them a look behind the scenes and allows them to take the organization of the exhibition into their own hands.