M to M of M/M (Paris)

When your art school heroes roll into town there’s a hellova buzz! Think back fifteen years when you were bored out of your mind trying to get to grips with Quark (remember Quark!?) and you catch a glimpse of a completely new graphic language? Remember flicking through i-D magazine then Bam! there’s M/M (Paris), in front of your eyes – with their loose yet tight, painterly yet graphic and photographic collages with hand-scratched typography? Your mind, for the first time since GCSE art, has been somewhat blown.

With this in mind, good luck trying to squeeze your way into the private view of their latest book; M to M of M/M (Paris), and accompanying exhibition Carpetalogue… it seemed that if you weren’t someone hugely important, you simply weren’t getting in! I guess it’s fair enough, the prolific graphic design duo Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, aka M/M (Paris), have just launched their latest title at Gallery Libby Sellers. The first retrospective of their careers – spanning twenty years, no less.

M to M of M/M (Paris) is published by Thames & Hudson with a star arts cast behind the title. Written by Emily King (Freize), designed by Graphic Throught Facility, with a foreword by Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Gallery)… it’s safe to say that their twenty-year career – spanning 528 pages – is in safe hands. One of Europe’s most revered and distinguished designer studios, their career began with a small studio, working mostly with record labels – until the world of fashion spotted their unique and bold works, of course. Now boasting long term collaborations with mega-names like Bjork, Kanye West and Calvin Klein – their skills are not just limited to the printed page, but include 3D installations, restaurant re-designs and videos.

The accompanying exhibition – M/M (Paris) Carpetalogue, 1992 – 2012 -presents a series of wonderfully illustrated woven carpets. Elaborate and exciting, Michael and Mathias have described Carpetalogue as a ‘map of the M/M Brain’, which explores the way they collaborate together. It’s essentially more about their working relationship rather than the commission, or its final outcome.

M to M of M/M (Paris) edited by Emily King is published by Thames & Hudson, £42.
Carpetalogue runs until 15th December at Gallery Libby Sellers, London.