Géza Perneczky - Ruud Janssen

«1971 was a hot year for mail art. In August of that year, I began my Town Fool
piece in Victoria (Western canada), soon getting into the publishing game with the
Banana Rag in an attempt to communicate better with the public. My first editions
were done in runs of 1,000 as hand outs at local public schools. I mailed leftovers
off to friends, among them Lee-Nova. He quickly put me in touch with the developing
network by sending copies of the Image Request Lists (→ Western Front) that
he and Morris had been producing from their Image of the Month mailings. Discouraged
by the frosty reception I got from the citizens of Victoria, I began mailing to
everyone on the request lists, sending whatever type of imagery they requested and
including my Banana Rags, and request for banana images and informations. The
response was overwhelming...»
(Anna → Banana: Mail Art Canada. In: M. Crane / M. Stofflet [eds.] Correspondence
Art. Contemporary Art Press [→ Loeffler]. San Francisco, 1984. 245 p.)
Anna Banana: Women in Mail Art. (Adopted from the introduction to VILE #6,
Fe-Mail Art by Anna Banana.) In: M. Crane / M. Stofflet (eds.): Correspondence
Art. Contemporary Art Press (→ Loeffler). San Francisco, 1984. 279-297 p.
Names of „fe-mail artists“ and other women in this article:
Lisa Baumgardner (USA), Jeanie Black (USA), Jean → Brown (USA),
Linda Burnham (USA) → !Cosey Fanni Tutti! (UK), Irene → Dogmatic (USA),
!Ms Generality! (CDN), Hannah Höch (Berlin Dada), Judit A. → Hoffberg (USA),
Leavenworth → Jackson (USA), Betty Kelly (AUS), Karol Law (USA), Noemi
Maidan (CH), Barbara Moore (USA), Elaine Neour (USA), Giulia Niccolai (I),
Sabina Ott (USA), Ms Zazu Pitts (USA), Jan van Raay (USA), Ula Rbaczeh (PL),
!Rhoda Mappo! (USA), Meredith Rogers (AUS), Angelica → Schmidt (D), Janet
Schmuckal (USA), Pauline → Smith (UK), Pat → Tavenner / Mail Queen (USA),
Ashley Walker (USA), Martha Wilson (USA), May Wilson (USA), Ruth → Wolf-
Rehfeldt (GDR).
Represented by images only: Cheryl → Cline (USA), Pat → Fish (USA),
Nancy Frank (USA), Eva Lake (USA), Ginny → Lloyd (USA), Scarlatina → Lust
(USA), Ester → Nation (USA), Lowry Thompson (USA),
^Bananapost. European Tour Commemorative Edition by Anna Banana. Offset
print accordion folder (4x) of 21.5x9 cm. with data about a series of 15 limited
edition artist's stamp sheets. Also «A little History of Artistamps», «About the
Artist / this Editon», etc. Banana Prods. Vancouver, 1987
^International Art Post. (Publication / artist name list and order form for the IAP
artists' stamp sheets from Feb 1988 - Dec 1997, further for the Artistamp Collector's
Album by Banana Productions) Letter size leaflet, phc. Banana Prods. Sechelt, 1998
Literature:
«(Sometimes Monthly Banana Rag, #9): «... the first issue of the Banana Rag to be
published in San Francisco (it continud publication in the Bay Area until issue 15).
From 1971-1973, the Rag was published in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,
where the editor was documenting and publicizing her activities as Town Fool, and
staging such events as April Fool celebrations and collaborative parade participation.
Eventually, the Banana Rag found its way into the hands of Gary Lee Nova
(Art Rat) and and others involved in Vancouver's → Image Bank. From that point
on, the editor became emeshed in the emerging Eternal Network. In this issue Anna
Banana announces a name change to Ms. Canadada... The format includes rubber
stamps, photobooth photographs, drawings, handwritten copy, and newspaper
clippings, all collaged to produce an all-over mix of word and images.» (John →
Held, Jr.: Bay Area Dada, 19970-1984: An Annotated Bibliography of Primary
Sources. In: The Bay Area Dadaist. Stamp Art Gallery [→ Gaglione], S. F., 1997)
(About Vile, 1983):
«VILE was inspired by FILE Magazine's growing disdain for mail-art. It began at