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about this work

Peter Downsbrough’sRE/SET shows a tilted rectangle with the words RE and SET. In his work Downsbrough invites us to look at space differently — not just gallery spaces or buildings, but also the streets we walk through or even the blank pages of a book. These spaces are inhabited by the simplest elements: a line, a rectangle, or by short words. These forms don’t just sit there — they interact with the space, cut through it, divide it, and make us more aware of it. They open up a new way of thinking about words like ‘place’ and ‘space’, and about how meaning can shift depending on where and how something is placed.

You could say Downsbrough’s art is made of lines, letters, and the spaces between them. With just a few gestures, he created spaces full of possibilities — asking us to think about how images and words work together, about where we stand as viewers, and how everything fits into bigger systems like language, architecture, cities, or even politics. He never offered one “right” way to interpret his work. Downsbrough was committed to letting viewers bring their own experiences and interpretations to the work — he often said that a piece should “suggest, rather than state.” Given that this was one of the last works he made before he passed away, it’s hard not to read something special in it — maybe a quiet but powerful call to never give up, to pause but not stop, and to always find a way to begin again — a RESET.

This edition is the very same print you can see pasted in public space as part of our PLAKT series. We saved 15 pristine copies to present as a limited edition – signed and numbered by the artist.