5 Brilliant Artists’ Books To Add To Your Library

In contrast to an art book, catalogue or monograph, which is produced primarily to present artworks created in another medium, the term “artists’ books” describes publications that have been conceived as artworks in their own right. The book is a medium that allows an artist’s work to be accessible to a wide audience in diverse locations at any given time, providing a uniquely democratic approach to the distribution of art. While social in its implications, ultimately, like the act of reading, engaging with an artists’ book is a physical experience, one that is individual and personal. Exploring the potential of the medium, Something Curated highlights five brilliant artists’ books available for purchase this month.

Afterlife, 2020 by Vasantha Yogananthan

Afterlife is the sixth chapter of Vasantha Yogananthan’s long-term project A Myth of Two Souls inspired by the epic tale The Ramayana. Drawing inspiration from the imagery associated with this myth and its pervasiveness in everyday Indian life, Yogananthan has retraced the legendary route from north to south India. A Myth of Two Souls is informed by the notion of a journey in time and space and offers a modern retelling of the tale. Afterlife is centred around the bloody war between the army of Ravana and the army of Rama. As its title suggests, the chapter deals with death and reincarnation. With Rama’s cruelty finally revealed, the series can be read as a visual exploration of one man’s descent into the darkness of the soul. Available at Claire de Rouen.

Rosa, 2021 by Simone Gooch & Derek Henderson

The still life floral arrangements that populate florist Simone Gooch and photographer Derek Henderson’s collaborative project Rosa both expound and subvert the loaded historical and aesthetic potentials of its central subject matter. Having been commissioned by John Tebbs of Pleasure Garden magazine to visit Matthews Nurseries Ltd. – a multigenerational family rose farm in Whanganui, New Zealand, known throughout the world for its unique rose breeding programme – in 2018, Gooch and Henderson were so taken by their experience that they returned of their own accord the following year, working with the Matthews family to source, select and cut the plethora of unique rose varieties that appear in the book. Available at Idea Books.

Far From Boring, 2016 by Tony Gwilliam

This wonderfully packaged artist’s book was conceived by radical architect and thinker Tony Gwilliam in the form of a freefall autobiography of his life and work. The dense but compact tome addresses his early work at the Architectural Association in the 1960s and his part in Archigram, through to his time with Buckminster Fuller and then on to cover his latest work in Bali with an ecological tourist and local community housing project. This is a scrapbook of thoughts and ideas and drawings all housed in a handmade tin box from Bali. The work also contains loose inserts, stamps, stickers and more, dropped in by the artist himself. Available at Tenderbooks.

EVERWONDERFUL, 2021 by Jeano Edwards

The idea of home, what it represents and what it looks like, is a recurring theme in Jeano Edwards’ practice. Born in Jamaica and now based in Brooklyn, Edwards’ EVERWONDERFUL toes the line between distance and familiarity as he photographs his home country as a resident of another. The body of work, which mainly features tender portraits, often set against verdant backdrops and filled with warm, dappled light, feels like a keepsake that encapsulates his relationship with his home country. There’s a sense of symmetry to how Edwards has sequenced the images in EVERWONDERFUL, where leafy framing devices, flushes of colour or the stance adopted by his sitters bring harmony to the pages. Available at Jeano Edwards Studio. 

Coastal Access, 2021 by Shao-Feng

Shao-Feng Hsu is a photographer whose work around the world mainly focuses on the interaction of humans and the aquatic environment. From his native Taiwan, where he trained as a competitive swimmer, to Australia, Cambodia, Japan, and beyond, Hsu has immersed himself in aquatic cultures in an on-going study of the impact of the Anthropocene on our waters. The artist explains: “Coastal Access is a visual diary of my mental space during the pandemic … To process the intensity and uncertainty of the time, I started to photograph daily in black and white film. Going through physical separation from friends and family, I often went for a walk in search of a body of water. During these walks, I found it meditative and healing to encounter and interact with different creatures.” Available at Printed Matter, Inc..



Feature image: Afterlife, 2020 by Vasantha Yogananthan (via Claire de Rouen)