Filed under: Design
NEW ORNAMENTAL TYPE
Steven Heller, Gail Anderson
Thames & Hudson, $65
New Ornamental Type presents a dazzling kaleidoscope of highly animated text and type samples across a broad spectrum of styles and effects. Psychedelia, Hip-Hop, Gothic, flowers, smoke, hair, electricity and monuments are just a few of the creative allusions in the hundreds of dramatic and intricate examples inspired by nature, history and just about anything that is visually expressive. The book begins with a historical outline of ornament and its evolution through the major creative periods from the beginnings of the 20th century to the present. The heart of the book contains hundreds of contemporary examples from around the world, organised into three sections, each with a brief essay introducing the background, influences and outstanding aspects of the graphic works.
CHRISTIAN BOLTANKSI
Flammarion Contemporary, $65
Christian Boltanski – internationally acclaimed photographer, sculptor, painter, and installation artist – tackles the problems of death, memory, and loss in his art that draws heavily from his own life. Boltanski’s art can be either dark and disturbing or playful, and sometimes both at once. This monograph examines every aspect of his art, from his unusual choice of materials – newspaper clippings, used clothing, photographs of photographs – to the spirits that haunt his work.
Filed under: Art
LOUISE BOURGEOIS
Flammarion Contemporary, $75
The work of acclaimed artist Louise Bourgeois, still active and working at the age of 95, is presented in this long-awaited monograph on the doyenne of contemporary art. Bourgeois has produced a body of work that spans more than five decades, including over twenty worldwide exhibitions in 2005 alone. Famous for her highly experimental and autobiographical sculptures, Bourgeois’ work also includes intimate drawings, paintings, and personal writings. This comprehensive volume presents Bourgeois’ extensive career through a retrospective text, the artist’s own writings, and over 150 images that represent her output from her earliest work to her most recent projects.
Flammarion Contemporary is a new series of object-books that provide the general public with an informative and visually evocative reference on the work of contemporary artists and the issues and trends that drive the art world today.
THE TREE SHOW
Mark Ryden
Porterhouse Fine Art Editons, $65
The Tree Show is a showcase of pieces from Mark Ryden’s 2007 major solo exhibition at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. The Tree Show features over 130 colour images including Ryden’s paintings, drawings, studies, and sculptural works. This 128-page hard bound full-colour edition also includes a wealth of Ryden’s inspirational reference materials as well as an essay by Holly Meyers and artist’s statement.
Filed under: Design
FABULOUS NEW DESIGN JOURNAL!
Locally produced, Process Journal is a gorgeous new quarterly publication that aims ‘to showcase the very best of Australian and International Design’.
Edition one is in store now.
Published by Hunt Studio, $25
New issues of Un Sedicesimo from Corraini Edizioni!
VOL 13 – Morteza Zahedi
VOL 14a – Carin Goldberg
VOL 14b – Tomi Um (pictured)
$10 each
CHINESE GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Scott Minick, Jiao Ping
Thames & Hudson, $35
From posters and advertisements to book covers and magazines, this volume presents a dazzling panoply of graphics, brilliantly uncovered by the authors from long-forgotten sources, mostly in China itself, after surviving innumerable upheavals: natural catastrophes, war and revolution. Beginning with the basic traditions of Chinese graphics, the authors show how the writer and artist Lu Xun became the centre of cultural revival in the new China. We see Art Deco making its mark in the Shanghai Style, and the birth of a national design aesthetic, born of Russian Constructivism and Chinas own drive for new technology. The Socialist Realist art of Mao in turn adopted folk traditions to fuel the Revolutionary machine, while the continuing search for a new identity can be seen in the graphic images of protest from the summer of 1989. Throughout, creative design ideas are expressed with a freshness and vitality that recalls the beauty and character of Chinas own traditions.
Filed under: Design
GOOD 50×70: THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION PROJECT
BIS Publishers, $45
No one is better at conveying a message and getting people to act on it than those in the communications industry. But, sadly, the industry spends little time on issues that really matter. Work for charities is nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills. The creators of the Good 50×70 project found this incredibly frustrating. They decided to create their own project to reward creativity in social communication and provide charities with a database of posters they could use for free in their campaigns. This book collects the best responses to seven design briefs from seven charities addressing seven critical global issues.
Filed under: Design
FORM: BOOK & PROMOTION
Page One, $90
More than ever, design is the essential element that makes book and printed promotional pieces more valuable. Form showcases the aesthetic potential of the traditional medium with unique materials, unusual forms, interesting foldouts, innovative prints and special bindings. This lavishly illustrated volume is an exciting celebration of the tactile and aesthetic qualities specific to printed matter.
PRADA
Abrams, $150
