From the exhibition Many Things Placed Here and There: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection at the Yale University Art Gallery:

IX-8 explores what Richard Tuttle has referred to as the “middle ground” of vision—a space that does not privilege a single, fixed viewing point. From a distance, this work appears to be simply ink on paper. Up close, however, the three-dimensional layering of the collage reveals itself, and the artist’s applica­tion of watercolor becomes apparent, redefining the composition. As he has for many of his works, Tuttle designed the frame for IX-8, which heightens the indeterminate spatial logic of the collage; its golden color contrasts with the artist’s signature use of humble materials.