Hans Ulrich Obrist book ‘Remember to Dream!’ features note by Frank Ocean

Remember to Dream Post-it Note Book Cover Front Hans Ulrich Obrist 2023-08-12 16x9.jpg

Front cover of Remember to Dream! (Photo: Heni).

Swiss art curator Hans Ulrich Obrist has released a book featuring 100 Post-it notes from 100 artists, including Frank Ocean, who contributed his Post-it almost nine years ago. The collection is titled Remember to Dream! and published by Heni, retailing for $16.95.

For over a decade, Obrist has been compiling aspirational notes from musicians, authors, actors, and visual artists, including Brian Eno, Arca, FKA twigs, Pharrell, Grimes, Paul McCartney, Virgil Abloh, George Lucas, Jonas Mekas, Jane Fonda, Bret Easton Ellis, Jane Goodall, and more. He first shared Ocean’s Post-it on Instagram in December 2014. Ocean signed the yellow slip of paper with a black marker and wrote:

I FEEL LIKE CRYING BUT… I CAN’T
I THINK I BROKE IT.

His stated inability to shed a tear may allude to his 2016 magazine Boys Don’t Cry, which Ocean was working on at the time he made the quip. Notably, Obrist is listed in the “special thanks” section of the zine’s credits.

Boys Don’t Cry masthead designer Zak Kyes (founder of Zak Group) also mentioned Obrist in a 2016 Dazed interview about the magazine:

Our collaboration with Frank Ocean and his creative director Thomas Mastorakos began about a year and a half ago [early 2015]. We received a call from Wendi Morris, Ocean’s project manager, saying that Ocean would like to meet to discuss a new project with us. After several scheduling attempts, a meeting was arranged at Abbey Road Studios [in London, England]. We presented some of [our] studio’s recent and current projects. Both Ocean and Mastorakos have a deep visual and cultural awareness and knew of many of Zak Group’s projects and some of our collaborators—including the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist in particular.

Learn more about Remember to Dream! below. The 208-page paperback is available to purchase at heni.com and other book retailers.

Remember to Dream Post-it Note Book Contents Page 71 Frank Ocean Hans Ulrich Obrist 2023-08-12.png

Remember to Dream! spread feat. Frank Ocean (Photo: ArtNet).

Remember to Dream Post-it Note Frank Ocean Instagram Post, hansulrichobrist 2014-12-01.png

Frank Ocean’s Post-it (Photo: Instagram, 2014).

Poetry on a Post-it: thoughts, dreams, jokes, quotations, questions and puns by some of the world’s foremost artists, writers, designers, musicians and actors, from Yoko Ono and Jane Fonda to Jonas Mekas and Grimes.

Promotional banner for Remember to Dream! (Photo: Amazon).

Heni Publishing includes the following book description on its website:

In Remember to Dream!, celebrated curator Hans Ulrich Obrist collects an abundance of thoughts for the day, dreams, drawings, musings, jokes, quotations, questions, answers, poems, and puns from some of the world’s greatest contemporary artists, musicians, and more, handwritten on Post-it notes (and other scraps).

From the reassuringly philosophical to the inspiringly straightforward, the ingeniously funny to the tenderly posthumous, Remember to Dream! (titled after a note by Carrie Mae Weems) paints a picture of the art world, direct from many of the most celebrated creative figures of the 21st century. These include BTS, Marina Abramovic, Tracey Emin, FKA twigs, Gilbert & George, Grimes, Zaha Hadid, Pharrell Williams, Zadie Smith, David Lynch, Jonas Mekas, Frank Ocean, Yoko Ono, Eileen Myles, Arca, and Vivienne Westwood.

The book features a preface by Hans Ulrich Obrist and is designed by award-winning book designer Irma Boom.

 
ISBN 978-1-912122-07-3. UPC 9781912122073.

Back cover of Remember to Dream! (Photo: Heni).

 

Related Articles:

Books
Hans Ulrich Obrist book ‘Remember to Dream!’ features note by Frank Ocean
Hans Ulrich Obrist book ‘Remember to Dream!’ features note by Frank Ocean

Swiss art curator Hans Ulrich Obrist released a book featuring 100 Post-it notes from 100 artists, including Frank Ocean, who contributed his note back in 2014. Ocean’s Post-it reads: “I feel like crying but… I can’t—I think I broke it.” His stated inability to shed a tear may allude to his 2016 magazine Boys Don’t Cry, which Ocean was working on at the time he made the quip.

Frank Ocean writes forward for ‘Moonlight’ screenplay book
Frank Ocean writes forward for ‘Moonlight’ screenplay book

A24 is releasing a new screenplay book on the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight with a foreword by Frank Ocean.

Frank Ocean publishes ‘Godspeed’ screenplay
Frank Ocean publishes ‘Godspeed’ screenplay

In his new magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean published a six-part screenplay titled Godspeed. The story follows Steely, a “charismatic and well-liked, but emotionally guarded” boy, alongside his friends. Ocean describes the play as a ‘reimagined part of his boyhood.’

Frank Ocean releases album ‘Blonde’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine
Frank Ocean releases album ‘Blonde’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine

Ocean debuts his highly anticipated studio album, along with a 370-page, large-format art book, which he is giving away for free at pop-up shops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and London.

Frank Ocean is writing a novel, according to leaked press release
Frank Ocean is writing a novel, according to leaked press release

Internet sleuths have discovered a media release within the source code of Calvin Klein’s website, following Frank Ocean’s appearance in the brand’s #MyCalvins ad campaign. The unpublished text reveals that Ocean is working on a book, in addition to his forthcoming album and magazine, Boys Don’t Cry.

Frank Ocean discusses life, travel, and music in Tumblr blog post
Frank Ocean discusses life, travel, and music in Tumblr blog post

“No better than the next man, just doing a different thing with my time… I’m working on a lot of music; I’m gonna get back to that now.” Frank Ocean opens up about life in a new Tumblr update, in which he discusses hanging out with Jay-Z and Pharrell, traveling the world, moving to NYC or Tokyo, writing a novel, starting a car club, and other random musings.

Literature
Hans Ulrich Obrist book ‘Remember to Dream!’ features note by Frank Ocean
Hans Ulrich Obrist book ‘Remember to Dream!’ features note by Frank Ocean

Swiss art curator Hans Ulrich Obrist released a book featuring 100 Post-it notes from 100 artists, including Frank Ocean, who contributed his note back in 2014. Ocean’s Post-it reads: “I feel like crying but… I can’t—I think I broke it.” His stated inability to shed a tear may allude to his 2016 magazine Boys Don’t Cry, which Ocean was working on at the time he made the quip.

Frank Ocean shares poem “Boyfriend” inside ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine
Frank Ocean shares poem “Boyfriend” inside ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine

Frank Ocean writes seven free-verse stanzas titled “Boyfriend” in his new zine.

Harley Weir photographs Senegal in ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine editorial “Fluxus”
Harley Weir photographs Senegal in ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ magazine editorial “Fluxus”

Frank Ocean’s zine features a photo series by London-based photographer Harley Weir that captures the people of Dakar, Senegal, located in West Africa. The models reenact quotes from various artists, poems, and performance art projects. Weir shot the images in 2015 under Ocean’s creative direction.

Kate Tempest writes poem “Brown Eyed Man” for Frank Ocean’s magazine
Kate Tempest writes poem “Brown Eyed Man” for Frank Ocean’s magazine

Boys Don’t Cry includes a poem by English writer Kate Tempest that highlights the deaths and persecution of ‘brown-eyed men’ by police and others.

Frank Ocean publishes poem, photo series “Jumbo”
Frank Ocean publishes poem, photo series “Jumbo”

In Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean shared a verse and photographic series titled “Jumbo” that features his friend Ysham Jackson modeling outfits styled by fashion director Rita Zebdi. Notably, the piece includes an image that appears on one of three magazine covers.

Romain Gavras writes comic “Le Go Fast” in Frank Ocean’s magazine
Romain Gavras writes comic “Le Go Fast” in Frank Ocean’s magazine

In Boys Don’t Cry magazine, French film director Romain Gavras published a comic strip featuring graphics by London-based artist Pablo Jones-Soler. It contains a series of text messages from a drug mule, who explains the process of trafficking product from Morocco into France and the rest of Europe.

Tyler, The Creator writes poem “Tricolor” in Frank Ocean’s magazine
Tyler, The Creator writes poem “Tricolor” in Frank Ocean’s magazine

Tyler uses transportation as a metaphor for success and ambition in his new text for Boys Don’t Cry magazine. The two-page spread also features pictures of him and his cream-colored BMW M3 E30.

Kanye West shares poem about McDonald’s in Frank Ocean’s magazine
Kanye West shares poem about McDonald’s in Frank Ocean’s magazine

Boys Don’t Cry magazine includes a poem by Kanye titled “The McDonald’s Man,” which details french fries, cheeseburgers, and other items on the menu conspiring against each other. The piece features photos by Nabil Elderkin that capture West driving his Lamborghini up to a franchise location in Calabasas and speaking his verses onto the drive-thru’s order screen.

Frank Ocean shares photo series “Glitterboy Down (Best Day Ever)” in his zine
Frank Ocean shares photo series “Glitterboy Down (Best Day Ever)” in his zine

In Boys Don’t Cry magazine, Frank Ocean included a photoshoot with friends camping outside Munich, Germany. Notably, the series features an image of his friend smoking in a car that appears on one of the three digital album covers for Blonde. The piece also samples a text by American neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer titled Truisms.

Frank Ocean publishes poem “My Random”
Frank Ocean publishes poem “My Random”

“How come the ecstasy always depresses me so? Chemically, I don’t have any new places to go.” In a Tumblr post, Frank Ocean shared a 23-line, free-verse poem titled “My Random,” reflecting on love, depression, and the urge to escape.

Frank Ocean posts lyrics for unreleased “Versace” remix
Frank Ocean posts lyrics for unreleased “Versace” remix

In a Tumblr post, Ocean shared the lyrics for his own take on Migos’ new single “Versace.” The verse references Ocean’s Grammy win over Chris Brown and his recent appearance at the 2013 Met Gala, where he chopped it up with Donatella Versace.

Frank Ocean writes poem “Lone Wolf” on Tumblr
Frank Ocean writes poem “Lone Wolf” on Tumblr

Frank Ocean shares an 11-line poem on Tumblr about a “lone wolf.” The term describes a person who prefers to act alone and may refer to Ocean himself.

articlesOdysseusHans Ulrich Obrist, books/literature, letter, poems, Boys Don't Cry, Irma Boom, Odysseus (ody§eus)