A wild surfeit of new art books
by Sean O'Toole
Not so long ago opinion makers were heralding the end of print: fat chance! And where not that long ago either, the only memento to remember a local exhibition by was a tatty old postcard, the vogue now is for sumptuous catalogues and hardcover books published in limited print runs.
At the fore of this recent trend is Bell-Roberts Publishing. Earlier this year the company released Gaze, a luxury edition book of photographs by Michael Meyersfeld. Luxury edition is probably a bit of an understatement. The resplendent hardcover coffee table book was printed in full colour on 170g imported matt satin paper, the final embellishment being a pink suede cover, which has been foiled in silver to create the title 'GAZE'.
Dismissed by some as voyeuristic, the 220-page book features intimate portraits of gay icons and lesser-known members of South Africa's gay demi-monde, and is prefaced with a foreword by Mr Justice Edwin Cameron. The photographic style itself is somewhat reminiscent of British fashion photographer Nick Knight. Some of the books appeal will undoubtedly be tempered by its retail price: R550.
Also from Bell-Roberts Publishing comes SNLV, photographer Jill Lochner's debut monograph. Although widely feted as a commercial and fashion photographer, Lochner's work characteristically explores a highly emotive territory. The book offers a candid view of a body of work that is at once constrained by the beauty imperative and yet vehemently critical of it.
SNLV was supposed to have been launched in April but has been dogged by delays. As the artist explains: "The book-binders refused point blank to bind the book." This ought to be reason enough to search it out, the book officially available from May 15.
A new Cape Town outfit looks set to rival Bell-Roberts Publishing in the art publishing market. Where earlier this year Michael Stevenson jointly published a book of Guy Tillim's photographs, the hardcover catalogue accompanying 'Contact Zones', at the Michael Stevenson Contemporary, has been produced independently. Titled The Mlungu in Africa, with the subtitle Art from the Colonial Period 1840 - 1940, the catalogue/ book features colour photographs of a range of figurative works produced in wood and ivory.
Jointly authored by Michael Stevenson and Michael Graham-Stewart, the book reflects on the interactions of African artists with foreign cultures, charting the misunderstanding, fear and admiration which marked these formative interactions.
Not all the new books available have gone for the bigger is better approach. Published by the South African National Gallery, with text supplied by Andrew Lamprecht, Bruce Gordon is a must for any collector of art catalogues. This pocket-sized little book goes a long way towards contextualising the hype surrounding the infamousBruce Gordon artwork. It also offers a very personal insight into the artwork that calls himself Bruce Gordon.
Show Me Home follows a similar tack to the Bruce Gordon catalogue. That it is small does not however imply that it is wanting in terms of content. Colin Richards and Kathryn Smith both contribute astute academic commentaries that probe at the edges of the curatorial concerns of Mads Damsbo, the Wits MA student who compiled the 12-person group show of the same name, currently on at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
A veritable feast of print, the true litmus test is still whether these ambitious initiatives can sustain themselves. Inklings are that they can. With David Krut's TAXI book series now well into its second season, the most recent TAXI book dedicated to Noria Mabasa, there is all indication that there is a dedicated, albeit niche audience of book buyers out there.
Post script: Those who complain that art books and catalogues are expensive, be warned: Sue Williamson's epoch defining Resistance Art is now fetching upwards of R600 in second hand bookstores in Johannesburg. If you have a copy of the catalogue to the show The Neglected Tradition, it is worth even more. I spotted a dog-eared copy spoiled by ink commentary in the margins selling for R800.
Post-post script: Also worth searching out is Kim Lieberman's recent catalogue to her show at the Goodman Gallery; and Art and Urbanisation, the exhibition catalogue to the latest show at Warren Siebrits.
