This clever ad campaign is for the College of Creative Studies, an art school in Detroit. Clever, but oh how true. Click “Read More” below for additional images.

Above photo: Rick Ross signing a photograph of himself by Jonathan Mannion at AE Gallery

Saturday, December 2 on South Beach saw the Phillips du Pury charity auction at The Webster benefiting the Playgrounds Around The World charity. Artworks by Ryan McGinley, Dan Colen and the late Dash Snow hung on the walls, the first time the three downtown legends had ever shown together. The three pieces raised just over $200,000 ($150,000 for the Colen alone, the other two about $25,000 each) for the charity.

Mihoko’s 21 Grams, a high-end Franco-Japanese restaurant opening in Manhattan next year, provided guests dinner prior to the auction, replete with caviar and pink chevre mousse bombs. As bidding concluded, an impromptu dance party began, the star of which was 9 year-old Sunny Melet, who began to jump rope with a giant scarf worn by one of the guests, urging everyone to take turns.

After the room played jump rope, Ryan McGinley spoke about how happy he was to be involved in the auction. “I chose this piece because I knew it would sell, since this is a charity auction you always want to pick a piece that will sell. It’s an important cause. And I’m happy to do anything to promote Dash Snow’s work.”

He commented that this year at Basel was his most enjoyable to date. “My favorite experience at Basel this year was having my work shown with a few artists whom I really love and respect, who I have never shown with before. It was also great to see my work displayed on a 7000 square foot screen at The Bass Museum event. I’ve never had my work displayed on such a large scale, and it was amazing for me. It was like a drive-in theater, with a few hundred people watching on bean bags. On the other hand, my least favorite experience this year in Miami was getting a moving violation for rolling through a stop sign. I haven’t been pulled over in years… It was bad. Terrible.” (laughs).  New York artist Brent Birnbaum jokingly added, “My favorite thing at Basel this year has been seeing composed civilized people wasted on the street.”

Above photo: Bodybuilders in front of Mint & Serf graffiti at the Norwood/Patrick Duffy party

Patrick Duffy’s Norwood party at the Shore Club with downtown graffiti artists Mint & Serf filled the last night of Basel with bulging muscles, spray paint and hip hop. Mint&Serf, AKA Mirf, lead the Peter Pan Posse, a downtown collective that runs the streets of today like the Irak and ALIFE crews did a decade ago.

At the pool behind the Shore Club, shiny bodybuilders flexed, smiled and posed in front of a spread of fake candy treats and a backdrop of a 1950’s era suburban living room. Guests reclined in cabanas, smoking weed from apples. People danced around the bar and DJ booth as Gucci Mane and Dipset bounced through the tall sheer white curtains that billowed in the breeze.

Around 8pm, the body builders left their posts, and Mint & Serf’s graffiti crew quickly moved in and began spray-painting all over the backdrop. Mint dropped “REAL NY” in the upper right-hand corner. Guests crowded around, mesmerized as the artists fluidly took turns, spraying layer over layer of graffiti for over twenty minutes.

Then the body builders resumed their perches, and the artists headed to the DJ booth to pose for pictures and generally jump around like lovable juvenile clowns. “We’re the PPP!” laughed Mint, forever young indeed.

“The most important thing we’ve learned this Basel is keeping it cute, and keeping a lot of swag,” chimed in Jacuzzi Chris, AKA Same. Mint added, “This is by far our favorite event of Basel this year, because it’s so weird. Writing graffiti while smelling bronzer… After going to crazy parties, you get the idea. Everyone has crazy swag. There was the Louis Vuitton party with the bottles and the models, but it’s contained.” It was refreshing to be at a non-corporate event filled with a true Basel mix, where the PPP graf boys and the DSquared duo, Dan and Dean Caten, in matching white jeans, could mingle with trannies and Miami fake boobs. “Wow, this is great,” Dean or Dan Caten said (we weren’t sure who was who).

Few crews so dominated the Basel scene as PPP, with members showing art, throwing parties, doing public graffitti walls, DJing, performing and just generally winning Miami’s annual competition for best downtown crew. And this party – wild, weird, fun – was a great example of their unique New York swag.

Above photo: Rick Ross in conversation with photographer Jonathan Mannion at AE Gallery

In Miami’s design district, AE Gallery hosted Classic, an exhibition of key works of iconic urban music photographer Jonathan Mannion. Mannion has become the go-to photographer for legendary hip hop artists, and is renowned for developing strong, ongoing relationships with celebrated musicians who trust his ability to capture their artistry. His photographs of hip hop icons such as Jay-Z, Notorious BIG and Lil Wayne at once inspire a flooring sense of awe for their subject, whilst engendering a profound emotional connectedness. They capture not only the glamour and gravity, but their unguarded humanity.

Rick Ross made an appearance and sat down with Mannion to discuss photographs he has taken throughout Ross’s career. Each photograph was projected onto a screen and the pair reclined in white leather armchairs, reminiscing over each shared memory. At a photograph of Ross subdued in a canary yellow fur, Mannion exclaimed, “Bumble bee yellow fur?!” Ross, incredibly articulate and unstoppably smooth throughout the discussion, replied simply, “Yeaah!” “What was on your mind at this time?” “Excess.”

When I asked about his favorite moment of his career thus far, Ross replied, “It’s hard to pinpoint any one moment. There were so many minor struggles that meant so much to me. Looking at those pictures, I just remember that this was a dream. A dream that I worked hard for- I set a goal and I went after it. Any artist, you can create your own destiny. That’s something that I’m a living testament to.”

Below photo: Nine-year-old Sunny Melet jumping rope at The Webster charity art auction

Thursday night at the Gussman Theater for Performing Arts gave us the premiere of a short film by the graffiti artist Neck Face, followed by a performance by SALEM. Neck Face’s film, Born Under A Bad Sign, was mediocre if passable, but did end with a Kung-Fu street battle between a sworded man in a massive and delicately exquisite carved headpiece, and a tiny Asian woman who ended up having her neck slit, true to Neck Face’s frightening style.

SALEM subsequently took over the stage, filling it with soft, dense smoke, each member appearing witchy and swaying under alternating spotlights. Their gothic hip-hop chants (“If you can’t beat your bitch/Then you don’t need your bitch”) were delightfully contrasted with the decor of the restored Gussman, which is an odd mix of baroque/Mediterranean/gothic, but nonetheless lavishly beautiful.

Later in the night, The Black Lips gave an out-of-control performance at the Toyota Antics party at Grand Central. Guitarist Cole Alexander jumped and somersaulted into the crowd, who loved every moment of the rowdy spectacle. Backstage, Alexander was just as hyperactive, bopping and constantly moving around, clothed all in bright green. “Basel is kinda pretentious,” he said. “but I like art, so whatever.” Lead singer Jared Swilley commented “We are probably the greatest artists at Basel. Also, period. When I look in the mirror it’s considered art.”

Tony Cederteg is undeniably all things creative. A publisher, editor, designer, art director, musician and a friend, to name a few. In the beginning of December he surfaced as Jony and released a 7-inch vinyl entitled Fartygets Fingrar in an edition of 100 white transparent copies. In keeping with the “more than meets the eye” spirit the first 50 copies came with two CD-R records (Sibirien Series Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) and 23 new additional songs recorded on a cell phone and computer, along with a small booklet of lyrics. No, he’s not a Transformer. Yes, he does enjoy a good bottle of water and a bag of chips. Click “Read More” to enjoy his music and to watch the projects two music videos, directed, respectively, by Todd Jordan and Adam Saletti.

A welcome departure from the standard holiday festivities, The Grand Street Bakery marks the debut of The Cilo at The Bakery with tonight’s opening party. Situated in the back room of the bakery, which used to house a flour cilo, The Cilo expands The Bakery’s inspired mix of new and vintage clothing, homewares and trinkets by focusing on vintage electronic accessories, including vintage turntables, speakers, receivers and Danish Modern record buffets circa the ’60s. I was lucky enough to have a little sneak preview last week, and they’re truly beautiful. Among the “new” offerings are candles in the shape of Morrissey’s head, each hand carved by Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons. Additionally, vinyls will be available from local bands, including the Wild Yaks, the Minks and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, who will be performing tonight at the opening along with Anyways It’s Monday.

The Cilo at The Bakery is located at 602 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NYC. Its opening party is tonight, December 16, from 7pm-11pm.

At the entrance of Design Miami this year, onlookers gawked at the dreamscape installation – the latest in a series of design/artist collaborations spearheaded by Silvia Fendi. After three years of bold projects at the Fair, the design stalwart called upon Berlin-based design visionaries Sebastian Neeb and Elisa Strozyk this year to create “Craft Alchemy.” Inspired by the 300-year-old Neo Classical Fendi Palazzo, the duo used recycled leather from Fendi’s warehouse to recreate Baroque furniture replicas – or their deconstructed “twins” – an act of alchemy indeed, an homage to classical craftsmanship and brazen metamorphosis. What arose was a sumptuous mise-en-scene installation populated by ethereal hybrid furniture creatures – a space infused with childlike wonder and curious tensions. A fantasy Pallazzo of avian commodes and angled tables, wooden cabinets spooling leather pools and legless pianos were scattered and suspended by threads, fastened in leather or placed in conspicuous. Traditional craft of the past became tactile, living entities, re-imagined and re-contextualized, as wood morphed into undulating leather. And so we saw the very act of alchemy – not only of materials but concerning the artistic endeavor at large – to transform, transfigure, and transcend temporal, material and formal limitations.

Sebastian Neeb and Elisa Strozyk’s shared reverence for Enlightenment era craftsmanship, fantasy and the unexpected pushed them to experiment with this space, creating an imagined narrative to inform the work.
“We created our own story and space within the Palazzo – an imagined place.. It was a secret room, sealed for 300 years,” explained Neeb, describing a certain spirit that “had seeped into the furniture.“ Certainly the space, these works, possessed a particular vitality – with knotted appendages, undulating skins busting from seams, commodes suspended like clumsy marionettes. Half-deflated cabinets spewed macramé, hovering like ghosts from the ceiling- an exact replica of a similar roll-top drawer in Berlin’s Museum of Decorative Arts —made entirely of leather. Ornate Baroque tables floated, mischievous and rigid consoles melted and puddled into tidal sweeps. A creased angular table squatted at the entrance, crafted of yellow leather and knock-kneed, “a little troublemaker,” dubbed by one onlooker. Nearby a hung commode seemed to be an eerie apparition held on an intricate web. In the Collectors Lounge were legless pianos, which the couple scavenged from a piano graveyard in Miami- the wood tarnished, the keys peeled back- the top lined with woven leather cushions. Aside from a curvy baroque dresser that they bought on eBay, the pieces are all handcrafted and modeled after those by the 18th century German cabinetmakers Abraham and David Roentgen, whose clients included Marie Antoinette and Empress Catherine.

Fendi itself has an aesthetic ethos that fuses old and new, hard and soft, combining tradition with innovation. At the intersection of classical craftsmanship and brazen innovation, these works cleave to this tension. Fendi as a brand likes to push and challenge ourselves. “This show forces us to ask what are things made of- it plays with illusion and metamorphosis,” remarked Silvia Fendi, describing it as a process with its own vitality and pulse, one that unfolds freely. “We believe in creativity without interruption or limits. We don’t try to control anything. This is not about marketing. They aren’t creating merchandise for a collection. These are limited one-off editions. It is about creativity in its purist form.”

“We hadn’t worked with leather before this,” admitted Neeb at his bustling booth. The couple visited the leather workshop in Florence, where they selected discarded leather for the project and took in the age-old craft of leatherwork. “We learned what we could, but had to create our own process – an evolving one full of the unexpected. A new fusion of material and ideas.”

Mimicking the ornamental and immaculate craftsmanship of the 18th Century, these replicas used whimsy and brazen design, comedy and movement to express something fresh. Herringbone parquet floors and embroidered stencil frames, as well as meticulous attention to highly wrought ornamentation allowed them to remain loyal to the period and classical sensibility, an ethos that matches with the identity of Fendi, which strives for experiment and innovation, yet roots itself in classical craftsmanship. 
Said Neeb of the process: “We began with these pieces of furniture from another era – the golden age of craftwork.” After studying the forms with fastidious mimicry, they began to recreate this world. “They all started out as copies and became these unexpected objects. They turned into these living things. They are like animals, almost. Each has its own life.”

The show also focused on the efficacy and import of material and its possibility. “We imagine these materials fighting against each other, coming to life” remarked artist Elisa Strozyk. The tension is palpable as hard wood morphed into breathing, tactile swaths. One cabinet seemed to be bursting at its seems in leather bulges, as if is “puffing its way out” of its old body, and supple leather seeped out from busted seams overtaking wooden frames, or erupting alongside melting drawers. The Berlin-based couple, recently lauded for their Accordion Cabinet design, is part of the installation’s live, real time performance. Within the interior, populated by curious and sumptuous forms, was their workshop. Surrounded by bustling hoards, with fastidious, almost trancelike concentration, they worked meticulously – stitching and embossing, carving wood and birthing tactile, contemporary twins of the Baroque relics. Throughout the duration of the fair, the Berlin-based couple continued to transform and populate this stage. In a trance of fastidious craftsmanship, politely answering questions from time to time, they produced five new pieces, catering to ogling onlookers. To watch the work in action, is to see objects spring to life, as if by their own volition. The alchemist transforms and thus embodies the full role of the artist. Salvaged antique relics become heaving, breathing designs of the future, dreamlike, curious and teeming with life.

Throughout the fair, Silvia Fendi was on hand encouraging guests to spend time with these pieces and the artists at the fair, to watch them work and take time with these intricate works. “Look up into them. Touch them. This is about interaction. Collaboration. The creative act.”

While the showcase is not for sale, The Fendi Foundation for Limited Edition Design plans to stage an exhibit in Rome next year featuring all of its one-of-a-kind Design Miami and Fatto a Mano for the Future collaborations.


“Everything should be beautiful, if you can just start from there.”- AJR

Meet A. Jason Ross, the designer and master craftsman behind a stunning collection of accessories for men and women rapidly advancing into the realm of ‘must have’.  In truth, Ross already has a cult following of fashionistas as well as those who love to indulge in quiet luxury – his designs are absent of, so-called, ‘neon-sign’ labels.

Ross’s design studio is housed in the former Monarch Luggage factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  It’s a fitting home for the designer who crafts leather accessories under the name Artemas Quibble and the Creatures of Mme. Du Barry. Upon entering, you know that you are in an artisan’s lair. A visitor is immediately greeted with the sweet smell of leather and the various rhythms of cutting, sanding, hammering, pounding, forging, casting, soldering and buffing, this as artists are busy at work.  Hand-crafted tools, designed by Ross (he has 27 hammers), share wall space with leather swatches, thick, antique leather remnants, deconstructed keys and crops from other metal artifacts. Ross, with the help of lighting designer Robert Ogden collects a lot of antique materials. Huge windows usher in natural light – showcasing the beauty of the rough-hewn wood floors and the artful chaos of the studio’s walls.

The day I caught up with Ross, he was preoccupied with a new collaboration forged with Donna Karan – a stunning collection of belts for Karan’s ‘Casual Luxe’ line. Of course, that’s not all that’s keeping Ross busy these days. He pedals his wares at Urban Zen. There’s a venture with ABC and handbags for Henry Beguelin. He has also developed a bespoke service with Barney’s called the ‘Watch Transformation Project.’  This is not your father’s watchband, nor is it you your mother’s.  It’s a bold, innovative design embellished with an antique metal over-leather hinge, with a short or long, sinewy strap with or without a buckle. The leather’s rich patina lends a sublime elegance to the band.  Says Ross, “The watch mechanism is a very beautiful thing and I love the idea of having the raw, rougher antique metal work next to say a 19^th, 20^th or 21^st century watch.” A WTP band is a final flourish of one’s dress that uniquely presents a vibe that is both rugged and refined.

It’s a curious mix that is representative of Ross himself. Ross is a history and archeology-buff or “geek” depending on how you look at it. It’s that respect for the past that clearly informs his design sensibility. “My daily read is Archeology.org, Arts and Letters Daily and I also read the latest Discovery and that usually leads me to some kind of interesting website which might lead me in a new direction in my work,” he says adding, “I can look to any ancient period to find inspiration.” Ross admits that as a kid he was eager to dig up dinosaur bones in the yard of his family’s home, alas it never happened. During summer camp in Maine however, he recalls digging up old bottles and fragments of old bottles on the site of a former hospital. “I remember that as being tremendously exciting,” he says adding, “I like, with my work, to have history.”

Ross, who is also a guest lecturer at the Parsons School of Design, describes himself as an ‘abstract perfectionist’. When you look at his work, to the untrained eye, it looks like an accident when in fact there are blueprints, laws, rules and ‘illustrated tales’ that describe everything. “When you work with primitive tools which is part of the process of my work and part of what informs it, you have to have laws that govern the construction of the piece because there’s a certain randomness that happens,” according to Ross. He also gives credit to his girlfriend Natasha Chekoudjian, “She is a muse to me and is really amazing at sourcing ancient references.”

A Philadelphia transplant, Ross has been in Manhattan about a year and a half. The decision to make the move from Philly to Gotham was simple: he had a growing list of clients and business contacts in the City and wanted to be more accessible to them. “The reality is, there was not a store in Philadelphia selling my work,” according to Ross. He grew up on Philadelphia’s Main Line in a home appointed with French antiques, “a lot of gilt bronze,” he says. His mother, the late Caren Ross, in the 70’s, created a line of accessories including belts made of bullets under the label Bang Bang. His father Milton Ross was an inventor and manufacturer with an appreciation for Savile Row suits and Mr. Fish shirts. Ross, the younger, was educated at the elite Haverford School before attending Boston University.

He says he never thought he’d be making accessories. He started off making boxes constructed of reclaimed wood, lined with antique papers from engineering drawings. He then began making furniture. Ross developed an interest in accessories after becoming fascinated by leather machinery belting he saw at a wood-worker’s shop he was renting space in. Eventually, he began incorporating leather into his woodworking. At some point, he was asked to make a bracelet for a friend, Doub Hanshaw, who wore it to work. The buyers she worked with became interested in the bracelet and that ultimately translated into an order from Free People.

The label name, Artemas Quibble and Creatures of Mme du Barry, was initially a character to hide behind, as Ross didn’t see himself as an accessory designer – it was so distant from his woodworking. Nor did he see himself in the world of fashion because he was partly intimidated by it. In any case, Artemas Quibble, borrowed from the Arthur Cheney Train novel, had a quirky, enigmatic appeal. The Creatures of Madame du Barry has its roots in a guide to France from the late 1900’s. The curiously charming collision of the two names to create a label for his brand is also partly Ross railing against the machine. The ‘machine’ that, in a world of texts and tweets, compels ppl 2 shrtn evrythng.

With keen attention to detail a hallmark of who Ross is, intrepid photographer Weston Wells and I were eager to ‘pick his pockets’ and examine the details of his existence.

“I cannot walk out of the door without a journal and a pen in the same way I can’t walk of the door with my inhaler, I don’t know if I’m going to need it but I always have to have it,” says Ross adding that as an artist, “You have to be able to archive your ideas.” Ross makes his own journals using antique book covers. He mixes his own ink for the Mont Blanc pen he carries, “Hopefully it looks like the burnt umber you might find in da Vinci’s notebook or something… I dunno.” The specs are antiques. The two leather cases, Ross made for himself. One is a combination checkbook holder and wallet. The other case, in the photo, plays host to miscellaneous items including business cards, his iPhone, which is great for inspiration photos and mapping. A pocket-knife adorns the keychain. “It’s very functional. It seems like I’m always needing a little blade to open a package or cut a piece of leather,” he says. A final detail, not photographed, is what appears to be a remnant of a shirt or other much-loved article of clothing which has been resurrected as a scarf or roughly tied ascot.

Photography by Weston Wells

SightUnseen, the online magazine devoted to all things design-y, has just launched their latest project, a shop featuring wearable art objects handmade from unusual materials such as copper, rope, powder coated steel, cork, silk, leather, and on and on. So far the artists are mostly known for other endeavors, like Iacoli & McAllister who make high end lamps and furniture, or Confetti System, who adorn shops such as Creatures of Confort and J. Crew with their pinatas and fun decorations. The site is exquisitely curated by SightUnseen founders and former I.D. editors Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer. Just in time to get holiday gifts you really can’t find anywhere else.

top image: Iacoli & McAllister necklace No. Ultra
bottom image: Confetti System rope necklace

First it was cupcakes. Then it was ice cream, followed by macarons. But the latest trend in desserts, namely the lowly popsicle, reaches its apex with these delicious-looking concoctions by Stoyn, a Russian “independent ambient advertising agency” based just outside of Moscow.

The group describes these brilliant popsicles as a “design experiment” made in Russia and featuring natural products and ingredients. Should you be in Moscow, they are for sale at Cafe Milk and Cafe Youngberry; otherwise, you can place an order by e-mailing: stoynicecream@gmail.com. T-shirts of the popsicle designs are available for sale at All-Inclusive Apparel.

The online art gallery It’s Our Playground was built with the idea that exhibitions could live in virtual galleries as well as in brick and mortar spaces. This week, art critic and Dossier contributor Timothee Chaillou curated a customizable triptych featuring an insanely long list of artists including Roe Ethridge, Andrew Kuo, Lizzi Bougatsos, Klara Liden, Anne Collier and Nina Childress. The show, which officially opens today is called: No Color In Your Cheeks Unless The Wind Lashes Your Face. Go to an art show in your pajamas. Why not? BYOB.

Top Image: Nina Childress, Les Blondes III, 1997

For those who haven’t been, the NY Art Book Fair is held annually at MOMA PS1 and presents an exhaustive collection of artists’ books, contemporary art catalogs, monographs, art periodicals, and artist zines in one space over the course of a weekend. From the impassioned art-book obsessive to anyone with a remote interest in print, it is the only place to be on that brisk October weekend. Exhibitors range from international presses, booksellers and antiquarian dealers to artists and independent publishers from twenty-one countries. This year, a whole floor of the museum was dedicated to photography books.

The genesis of the fair came six years ago from Printed Matter, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of artistic publications and “the examination and interrogation of the changing role of artists’ publications in the landscape of contemporary art.” The organization’s Soho headquarters houses a library with over 15,000 titles, as well as an exhibition space; it’s easy to see how such a blueprint evolved into the Fair.

While waking around PS1, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of publications on view. But after a few hours trying to absorb it all, I found myself returning eagerly to the zine-tent, the newest addition to the fair’s roster. Here, 60 zinesters displayed their wares and the crowds were testament to an undying interest in the lovable lo-fi zine. At the Pau Wau Publications table the artist (and Dossier contributor) iO Tillett Wright was signing copies of her latest book Kisser. Elsewhere a discussion was being held on 100 Fanzines/10 Years of British Punk: 1976-1985. In the schoolyard there was a pop-up exhibition on Japanese zines and each way you turned were conversations on everything and anything related to the bound object. There was a distinct sense of collaboration – of an exchange of ideas and energy – the efforts of which can be found in each zine, book, magazine, print or postcard.

At the heart of this entire endeavor is New York’s adopted mascot for all things paper: AA Bronson, the founder of Printed Matter and captain of the Fair. Ever distinctive in style and personality, his genuine enthusiasm for this project can be attributed to his own artistic practice. As one-third of the Canadian artist collective General Idea, Bronson, along with partners Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal, helped pioneer conceptual and media-based art and promote artist initiated activities. In 1974, General Idea founded Art Metropole, an organization devoted to collecting, publishing and distributing artists’ books, multiples, audio and video. After the death of Feliz and Jorge, AA Bronson continued as director of Art Metropole through 1998. In 2004, he became president of Printed Matter, resigning in 2010 to focus on his own art practice. He remains Director of the the NY Art Book Fair.

Queer Spirits and Other Invocations, Berlin 2011

AA is something of a figurehead to a young generation of New York artists and so, with such an illustrious background in the history of printed matter and interdisciplinary art, who better than to discuss the evolution of the art book? On the back of the success of the recent book fair, and the midst of his latest exhibition in Berlin, I caught up with him to discuss our mutual fascination with all things print.

Siobhan Bohnacker: This year’s NY Art Book Fair appeared to be a huge success with over 200 exhibitors –  more than double the figure the year of its inception in 2005. Did you predict it would evolve so quickly?

AA Bronson: When we first started the NY Art Book Fair in 2006, we had no idea if anyone would come at all. We planned on 35 exhibitors for the first event, and ended up with 70. So it hasn’t been a huge surprise that the number of exhibitors has grown so quickly, although we never would have guessed it would reach this size. The bigger surprise is the audience, which topped 15,000 this year, most of them young people, well spiced with important book collectors, art librarians and art professionals of an older generation.

Siobhan: You’ve commented often in the past on the demise of New York’s art book stores, lamenting the loss of such treasures as Wittenborn, Jaap Reitman and Hacker Art Books. Why do you think New York took such a dip in art book stores, compared to other major cities?

AA: Well, for one thing Americans consume less books than other nationalities. But also, the specter of Amazon has decimated independent booksellers in the US, and even the big chains are in serious trouble. I am in Berlin for the month of October, and one thing that strikes me is how many bookstores there are here… quite amazing! At the same time, maybe American booksellers are a little lazy and haven’t realized the huge amount of public interest in independent and especially visual publishing, both books and magazines. In Berlin, most of the bookstores target the specialty audiences, whereas in the US most bookstores target some sort of hypothetical mass market.

Queer Spirits and Other Invocations, Berlin 2011

Siobhan: The NY Art Book Fair proves there is a great level of interest in art book and independent publishers—particularly from a younger generation. Do you think this will promote a resurgence of art book shops?

AA: I think this will promote a huge interest in small book fairs. Already, zine and comic book fairs are a huge success. I predict that book fairs like ours will continue to multiply rapidly.

Siobhan: The new addition to the fair this year was the tent dedicated to zines. The do-it-yourself aesthetic and idealogy of a zine strikes a chord amongst a lot of struggling artists in New York because it allows them to bypass standard publishing protocol and output their art in an affordable manner, without sacrificing great design and presentation. How does it make you feel to see so making young artists collaborating with one another to create zines and multiples of their work in print format?

AA: Well, it is gratifying, of course. I am always in favor of collaboration. One of the great things about the NY Art Book Fair is that it makes visible a community, a web of artists and publishers, that would otherwise be invisible. A big part of the joy that one feels flying around the NY Art Book Fair comes purely from each exhibitor’s recognition that they are all part of something much larger, something pretty exciting and optimistic.

Siobhan: In recent years, technology has taken a great leap forward in terms of its capabilities in presenting text and image. How do you see this affecting print in the long run?

AA: Well, that will transform the business of textbooks and the text-based book, of course, and already has. But I don’t expect it to have much impact on specialty art books.

Siobhan: Judging by the attention paid to the NY Art Book Fair, do you sense a growing determination to save print from technologies such as the iPad and Kindle?

AA: I don’t think it’s about saving print. I think it’s about taking pleasure in print. Whereas the book was very much a business before, with the advent of Kindles and iPads, the book has become an art form.

Siobhan: Photography books got their own floor at the Fair this year. A lot of photographers have become acutely aware of the photo book’s value and have responded by creating small run-editions that become art works in their own right. What do you think when books such as say, Ryan McGinley’s Moonmilk jumps up to hundred of dollars within months of its release?

AA: I think I’m glad that I bought my copy early.

Siobhan: You were the director of Printed Matter for a long time; the genesis of the NY Arts Book Fair came from Printed Matter. What was behind your decision to give up the helm last year?

AA: Well, for one thing, my age. I turned 65 this year. But also there has been an enormous amount of art activity for me this year. I am in Berlin now to install an exhibition of my recent work at Esther Schipper, and a retrospective of General Idea has just travelled from the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. However, I am remaining as Director of the NY Art Book Fair.

Siobhan: Throughout your career, you’ve often worked as part of a collective. Most recently you made a book with fellow artist Peter Hobbs called Evocation of the Queer Spirits (Fire Island). What is it you like in particular about working with other artists?

Queer Spirits and Other Invocations, Berlin 2011

AA: I have always collaborated, for 45 years now, so I don’t really know any other possibility.

Siobhan: What are you up to next? Any new projects on your horizon?

AA: My exhibition at Esther Schipper in Berlin opened last week. The centerpiece of the show was the performance Invocation of the Queer Spirits. It took place in the gallery the night before the opening, with no audience and no documentation. Only the remains of the event are visible to the public.

Siobhan: What book on your shelf at home do you most treasure and why?

AA: I have been collecting books for more than 40 years. I have many thousands, and I have no idea how I would choose one over another! Like a good parent, I love all of my books.

AA Bronson’s solo show Queer Spirits and Other Invocations is on view at the Esther Schipper Gallery, Sconeberger Ufer 65, Berlin through December 17, 2011

Portrait of AA Bronson by Dietmar Busse. Photo of Queer Spirits and Other Invocations (Berlin) courtesy of Esther Schipper Gallery.