Michail Karasik (1953 - 2017)	2660
	Daniil Kharms Четыре случая и Авиация превращении Four incidents and Aviation of transformations Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1990-91 330 x 205 mm. 5 books Edition: 33. Copy no. 28/33	Four incidents and Aviation of transformations is a collection of five books with texts written by the famous absurdist writer Daniil Kharms (1905–1942). During the Soviet era his work, except for that for children, was prohibited. It was only available in illegal samizdat or self-published editions. Kharms became an increasingly important inspiration to the Soviet onconformist artists in the 1970s and 1980s following the publication of a great number of his texts in a Russian-exile edition in 1974. In these five books Karasik builds on the tradition of samizdat by combining it with avant-garde texts. For the first time he also refers to himself as Kharmsizdat (to be translated as Kharmspublishing) In 1991 he published 33 sets of 5 books bound together with a banderole inside a slipcase that is decorated with a collage of paper, card and fabric lettering. Reference: Hellyer 2006, no. 571 Hamburg 2017, no. 98
	Daniil Kharms Страшная смерть A terrible death Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1990 130 x 95 mm. Edition: 33.	A terrible death, written by Daniil Kharms, is the first of a great number of texts by this author that Karasik illustrated. It became part of the set of five Kharms books only after all five had been completed. This can be seen in the edition size which numbers 36 copies, three more than the number of sets. It is the first book for which the artist used a publisher’s name: Blitsbook. It is printed on grey paper, stapled within an ochre cardboard cover. The 12 pages of text and illustrations are lithographed in black, the cover is in three colours. Both illustrations as the text are printed over two page spreads.
	Daniil Kharms Авиация превращении Aviation of transformations Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1990 210 x 140 mm. Edition: 33.	The aviation of transformations, written by Daniil Kharms, is listed by Karasik as the second book of the set of five Kharms’ books. The artist printed it on sheets of paper used to make sewing patterns, taken from fashion magazines, in a 33 copy edition. The brush drawings are in black ink, the text is produced with a reed pen in red ink. The printed sheets are glued together, and then stapled inside a grey paper cover. The cover is printed in three colours.
	Daniil Kharms Праздник Holiday Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1990 80 x 176 mm. Edition: 33.	Holiday, written by Daniil Kharms, is the third book in the set of five Kharms’ books. Karasik printed the first five copies on one side of grey paper; the remainder of the 33 copy edition, on the reverse of a poster. The text and drawings are executed in three colours: black, grey and red. The paper was harmonica folded and then glued between two cardboard covers. These are lithographed in two colours and have a collage addition. A red fabric eye is added on the top of the front cover so that the book can be hung from the wall. Folded the book measures 8 x 18 cm, unfolded the book is 66 cm long.
	Daniil Kharms Макаров и Петерсен Makarov and Petersen Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1991 120 x 180 mm. Edition: 33.	Makarov and Petersen, written by Daniil Kharms, is the fourth book in the set of five the Kharms’ books. Karasik printed the 33 copy edition copies on geographic maps of South America. Some were printed right on the images of the maps themselves, others were printed on the reverse side. The maps were cut into pieces of 60 x 18,5 cm. These cut pieces were then harmonica folded—with four folds—and stapled inside a grey paper cover, lithographed in red and black. Also in red and black, the text is printed between two black silhouettes of men with pipes.
	Daniil Kharms Помеха The obstacle Leningrad: Kharmsizdat, 1991 260 x 198 mm. Edition: 33.	The obstacle, written by Daniil Kharms, is the final book in the set of five Kharms’ books. The text of the book was typed in strawberry coloured ink using a classical typewriter and transferred to a lithographic stone. The accompanying illustrations were executed by brush in green ink from the firm Pronin and Mazer. Hence the publisher’s name, ShliMazer, chosen by Karasik for this book. The illustrations and text were printed on three sheets of paper. These were bound with a green ribbon inside grey card covers lithographed in red and black with a collage addition of a garter snap.