Eye Magazine

Uranus from IS A Gallery and Roma Publications

This limited-edition book, from IS A Gallery and Roma Publications, was produced on the occasion of the exhibition ‘Karel Martens: Re-Production’, held in Shanghai from 15 October to 15 November 2021. The book itself is an entire exhibition, as its pages are meant be taken out of its Swiss-style, unsewn binding and re-arranged on the wall to form a site-specific installation of 340 individual images over 21 square meters. The opening spread includes Karel Martens’ intended configuration of the pages; however each participant is invited to organise the book to their preference – performing a live transformation through time and space.

Uranus was originally inspired by Martens’ fascination with Chinese lunisolar calendar and the graphics and diagrams found within. The bilingual publication aims to geometrically represent the atmosphere of the seventh planet by ‘making a synthetic image based on an existing fact, not necessarily recognisable as such,’ according to Martens. By inviting an audience to collaborate, the walls of IS A Gallery became a space for collective knowledge that shifted in the eyes of each participant.

Caleidoscopica by Olimpia Zagnoli

Caleidoscopica, published by Lazy Dog and designed by Bunker, presents colourful works by Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli, whose bold silhouettes have appeared in the pages of The New Yorker, The New York Times and La Repubblica over the past decade. The first page, picturing a character playfully looking through ‘finger-glasses’, sets the tone for a book that is filled with illustrations, sketchbooks, garments, photographs, murals, posters, sculptures and home accessories. While the projects vary in materials and media, Zagnolli’s bold, bright and graphic style is ever-present.

Spliced in between the projects are pale pink pages with personal endorsements of Zagnoli written by design figures such as Melania Gazzotti, Guido Scarabottolo, Italo Lupi and Steven Heller. Some are two lines long, others fill the page. All paint a picture of a radiant, optimistic, joyful and driven person, whose work embodies the same characteristics.

HELL: The People and Places by Seymour Chwast and Steven Heller

Dedicated to saints and sinners (and published by Corraini Editions), this hardback book from Seymour Chwast and Steven Heller delves into the depths of ‘hell’ across the world. The red front cover features a bold blackletter ‘HELL’ in caps, paired with Chwast’s illustrations of figures falling to damnation. Available in English or Italian, the title is organised into six geographical sections: Middle East; The Americas; Africa; Greece; Europe; and Asia and the Pacific. The book is colourful and ink-heavy – an open window while browsing may be advised.

Each spread includes an illustration by Seymour Chwast, paired with a short, informative overview of the myth, story, or character pictured. The titles are set in hand-scribbled script that appears to be scrawled with force on the page. The book, despite a seemingly heavy subject, is light-hearted and accessible as the reader is taken on an entertaining global tour of the many versions of hell.

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