Sonja Ahlers: Men Explained Things to Me

Design and Production, 2024

Under the direction of Godfre Leung, I had the privilege to lead the design and production efforts for this project. This included sourcing materials for two distinct versions of the cassette box: one economical version made from paper board, and another crafted meticulously by a local bindery featuring hand-applied gold leaf on linen. Additionally, I oversaw the production of Ahlers’ zine, the design of paper cassette inserts (j-cards), and managed the pad printing process for the vibrant cassette tapes. This project was made in collaboration with the Richmond Art Gallery and was showcased during Ahlers’ exhibition “Classification Crisis” (September 9 - November 5, 2023).

From the exhibition guide—A mail art edition of 150, Men Explained Things to Me is an art project about the emotional economy of mixtapes from boys. This edition is a facsimile of four mixtapes made for Sonja in the nineties by a very famous musician (who will remain unnamed here), and the power dynamics underlying those “gifts.” The music on those mixtapes was “taped over” with recordings by women and nonbinary artists, many of which touch on themes of marginalization, asymmetrical power relations, exploitation, and abuse in art and music scenes.