Books

Anna Daučíková: Anna

5 July 2019 in Books Comment

Anna Daučíková: Anna

The first issue of Futura Books. With works of Anna and texts by her and Antony Auerbach. Edited by Michal Novotný and Parallel Practice. With shoes illustrations by Martin Groch. Typeface in use Rhymes by Jakub Samek.

The book of Anna Daučíková is an incomplete attempt to summarise the most important topics in the work of the first Czech-o-Slovak feminist as well as queer female artist. The reversed emigration and stay in 1980s Russia, the determination by the non—normative sexuality to the position of “the other”, the desire in relation to visualisation of sensual experience and the connection between past and present all intersect in the topic of the political body.

Parallel Practice

Feck Perfection: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life

13 June 2019 in Books Comment

Feck Perfection: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life
James Victore
With a foreword by Danielle LaPorte

Begin before you’re ready.

Renowned designer and professional hell-raiser James Victore wants to drag you off your couch and throw you headfirst into a life of bold creativity.

He’ll guide you through all the twists, trials, and triumphs of starting your creative career, from finding your voice to picking the right moment to start a project (hint: It’s now).

Bring your biggest, craziest, most revolutionary ideas, and he will give you the kick in the pants you need to make them real.

No matter what industry or medium you work in, this book will help you live, work, and create freely and fearlessly.

Here are some dangerous ideas:

The things that made you weird as a kid make you great today
Work is serious play
Your ego can’t dance
Warrior not worrier
Trust as inspiration

Take a risk. Try them out. Live dangerously.

“James Victore got famous creating tough posters that shook me to the core. He now does the same using the written word. To you.”
—Stefan Sagmeister, designer

Published by Chronicle Books, 2019
Softcover, 160 pages, full color, 6 × 8 inches
ISBN: 978-1-45-216636-0

Draw Down Books

Soviet Logos: Lost Marks of the Utopia

12 June 2019 in Books Comment

Soviet Logos: Lost Marks of the Utopia

Even if thousands of logos were created in the USSR only a very small part of them managed to survive until our days. Designed by professionals of various specialties, these fine graphic creations quickly became forgotten because of the turbulent fall of the Soviet Union. This monograph aims to rediscover the unrighteously forgotten logos and to introduce them into the global design context.

The book not only comprises of a collection of more than 360 carefully redrawn marks, but also provides a thorough analysis of the ambiguous functions of Soviet logos. With the help of social, economic and cultural discourse of the times, the functions of Soviet logos are analyzed in order to reveal their utopian nature.

Binding: Softbound
Pages: 312
Size: 148×190 mm
Publication: 2019
Publisher: Rokas Sutkaitis

Printed in Lithuania
Text by Rokas Sutkaitis
Designed by Acid
ISBN 978-609-475-316-9

Soviet Logos

Herman Miller: A Way of Living

11 June 2019 in Books Comment

Herman Miller: A Way of Living
Edited by Amy Auscherman, Sam Grawe, & Leon Ransmeier

A chronicle of the rich history of this innovative furniture company, from its founding in the early twentieth century to today.

For more than 100 years, Michigan-based Herman Miller has played a central role in the evolution of modern and contemporary design, producing timeless classics while creating a culture that has had a remarkable impact on the development of the design world.

Ten chapters and thousands of illustrations tell the Herman Miller story, documenting its defining moments and key leaders – making Herman Miller: A Way of Living an indispensable addition to the bookshelves of design-lovers around the globe.

“A company archive that is rich with material from and about the legendary figures who helped make Herman Miller a leader in postwar American design.”—Pilar Viladas, T Magazine

Format: Hardback
Size: 290 x 214 mm (11 3/8 x 8 3/8 in)
Pages: 614 pp
Illustrations: 2000 illustrations
ISBN: 9780714875217

Phaidon

History of Sexual Punishment — In Pictures

7 June 2019 in Books Comment

 History of Sexual Punishment – In Pictures
Karl F. Sturer Collection

Flogging, an element of corporal punishment, was already practised by early humans. Sources can be found in the context of nearly all antique societies: the Sumerians did it, as did the Israelites; it was carried out in ancient India, China and Rome. Becoming particularly widespread in mediaeval times as a punishment, it was practised within Christian movements in the form of self-flagellation right up to the 19th century.

In the USA, at the time of slavery, flogging was a frequent form of punishment, as it was under the National Socialist regime in Germany. To this day, flogging is carried out as an element of sharia law in some Islamic societies. Even the corporal punishment of children by whipping survives in some countries to this day. Alongside the gradually declining punishment, there also exists sexually motivated flogging, or spanking, a BDSM practice.

This photographic documentation consists of over 300 representations of flogging, among them a large proportion of erotic illustrations and depictions from antiquity to today. The images come from the most varied collections and sources. Certain of them have been further elucidated with text. They range from academic to porno trash and represent probably the most interesting and erotic collection ever put together on the subject of flogging.

Publisher: Goliath
Size / Format: 4.5” x 7” · 11,5 x 18 cm
Pages / Seiten: 272
Fotos / Photos: 240
Hardcover

Goliath Books

Appearance Stripped Bare

6 June 2019 in Books Comment

Appearance Stripped Bare
Desire and the Object in the Work of Marcel Duchamp and Jeff Koons, Even

Edited by Massimiliano Gioni

The first book to explore two of the biggest names in modern and contemporary art side by side, Marcel Duchamp and Jeff Koons.

In the first half of the 20th century, Marcel Duchamp redefined what we consider art and what it means to be an artist.

Many of his ideas return, transformed, in the work of Jeff Koons, born when Duchamp was 68 years old and whose own career lit up the art world of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

This is the first book to explore the affinities between these two highly influential artists, whose creative universes similarly question the function of objects and the allure of commodities.

International art historians, writers, and curators contribute their expertise on topics such as each artist’s persona, as well as reflecting on the influence of technology and sexuality on their work.

The publication of this intriguing book coincides with an exhibition at the Museo Jumex in Mexico City, opening in May 2019.

Format: Hardback
Size: 290 x 214 mm (11 3/8 x 8 3/8 in)
Pages: 264 pp
Illustrations: 100 illustrations
ISBN: 9780714878690

Phaidon