The NY Book Art Fair 2011- Some Highlights...

Photographs by Ian van Coller

Essay by Sindiwe Magona

Today (Saturday) The NY Book Art Fair 2011 @ MoMA PS1 was so chaotic, super crowded and was quite impossible to look at books because the crowds, were mostly not looking at the  books or allowing you to look at them,  were just '' hanging out'', mingling, occupying space and socializing, not even
 '' networking'' and off course... taking all your oxygen!!!

I did had to '' push '' my way around and after too many '' EXCUSE ME'' Can you get out of the way!
 ( like a real pushy NY broad) made may way into some nice tables and tried to learn and conduct business with the book art dealers  who seemed eager ready for me.

Along the way which, felt worst that a Subway platform at rush hour in the middle of a infernal August month in NYC, found some little gems to share with you...

Charles Lane Press- Had some lovely and beautiful books with great printing quality . Among them , Shen Wei- Chinese Sentiment and the newest publication by  Ian Van Coller  Interior Relations

On the walls there is a new series of portraits photographs from club people the morning after partying by Richard Renaldi that was worth the push over. I just loved them! Can't wait to see the whole series. And yes, they are for sale. So go and check them out!

James Franco Issue #14

James Franco and Issue #14

I also found this lovely quarterly called '' The Thing'' which it is a periodical in the form of a useful object. The issue #14 is by Actor/Artist/Wonder Boy, James Franco and he created this lovely ''useful object'' in memory of his friend Brad Renfro which, I am thinking about getting and so do you!
Here is a vimeo about it.

James Franco Issue 14 of THE THING Quarterly from THE THING Quarterly on Vimeo.

http://www.thethingquarterly.com/projects/james-franco.html

Kelli Connell

Kelli ConnellCarnival
Limited edition archival inkjet collage, signed and numbered, with copy of Double Life.
Matte size: 11 x 14 in.
Image size: 5 x 7 in.
Edition of 15, signed and numbered.
$1000 USD


Then,  I moved over to Decode Books, where, I found a lovely limited edition of Kelli Conell  based on her book ''Double Life'' which shows part of her process of  how  she composes her ''double images'' This is a good one to collect, so, check it out!
http://www.decodebooks.com/connell_collectors.Carnival.html

Sorry folks they might be other Jewels but the heat and '' Bookerina's'' ( Yes, I just made a new term for the hangers on book art fairs!) made it almost impossible for '' serious'' people like us truly ( no book collector over here) to make my rounds around the fair.

Ran out of Long Island City like a bat out of hell and found rescue back in Manhattan at the highly civilized , polished and air conditioned Phillips de Pury Photographs Auction Preview where, I felt right at home and staring at four Alex Prager photographs up for auction and wondering it right after the auction how much more mula mines at home will be worth...