Ostensibly working within the tradition of the still life, Ivan Seal's small-scale paintings complicate orthodox depictions of the inanimate objects with which we surround ourselves. His practice is informed by sources as diverse as modernist literature, post-punk, linguistics and Thing theory, and the resulting body of work constitutes a lexicon of sorts, a vocabulary of matter brought to life.

To accompany Seal's solo exhibition In Here Stands It (20 October to 9 December 2012), this monograph includes the gibberish stands, a text work by Seal and shelf lifes, an essay on Seal's work by Bettina Klein, alongside eight full-colour plates reproducing paintings featured in In Here Stands It.