Archives de catégorie : Art

ZODIAC: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR de Ai Weiwei, illustré par Gianluca Costantini

In this beautifully illustrated and deeply philosophical graphic memoir, legendary artist Ai Weiwei explores the connection between artistic expression and intellectual freedom through the lens of the Chinese zodiac..

ZODIAC: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR
by Ai Weiwei
illustrated by Gianluca Costantini
Ten Speed Graphic, January 2024

As a child living in exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai Weiwei often found himself with nothing to read but government-approved comic books. Although they were restricted by the confines of political propaganda, Ai Weiwei was struck by the artists’ ability to express their thoughts on art and humanity through graphic storytelling. Now, decades later, Ai Weiwei and Italian comic artist Gianluca Costantini present ZODIAC, Ai Weiwei’s first graphic memoir.
Inspired by the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac and their associated human characteristics, Ai Weiwei masterfully interweaves ancient Chinese folklore with stories of his life, family, and career. The narrative shifts back and forth through the years—at once in the past, present, and future—mirroring memory and our relationship to time. As readers delve deeper into the beautifully illustrated pages of ZODIAC, they will find not only a personal history of Ai Weiwei and an examination of the sociopolitical climate in which he makes his art, but a philosophical exploration of what it means to find oneself through art and freedom of expression.
Contemplative and political, ZODIAC will inspire readers to return again and again to Ai Weiwei’s musings on the relationship between art, time, and our shared humanity.

Ai Weiwei leads a diverse and prolific practice that encompasses sculptural installation, filmmaking, photography, ceramics, painting, writing, and social media. Born in Beijing, China, in 1957, he is a conceptual artist who fuses traditional craftsmanship and his Chinese heritage, moving freely between a variety of formal languages to reflect on contemporary geopolitical and sociopolitical conditions. Ai Weiwei’s work and life regularly interact and inform one another, often extending to his activism and advocacy for international human rights.
Gianluca Costantini is an Italian cartoonist, comic journalist, and activist. He has contributed to numerous publications and is the author of several graphic novels. He is well know for his drawing related to human rights campaigns all over the world. He collaborates with organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, ActionAid, and SOS Méditerranée. In 2019, he received the Art and Human Rights Award from Amnesty International.

THREE ROCKS: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller de Bill Griffith

From Bill Griffith, the acclaimed creator of Zippy the Pinhead, comes a history of comics as told through the life story of Ernie Bushmiller and his iconic comic strip Nancy.

THREE ROCKS:
The Story of Ernie Bushmiller – The Man Who Created Nancy
by Bill Griffith
Abrams ComicArts, August 2023

From Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead and Nobody’s Fool, comes THREE ROCKS, a biography of cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller, creator of the iconic comic strip Nancy. But this graphic novel is about more than a single comic book artist. It is the story of this American art form, tracing its inception in 1895 with the Yellow Kid, the creation of Nancy in 1933, and all the strips that followed, including Peanuts and The Far Side. When Bushmiller died in 1982, Nancy was running in almost 900 daily newspapers—a number few syndicated cartoonists ever achieve.
Nancy is hailed as the “perfect” comic strip by fans and cartoonists alike. The title Three Rocks refers to the trope of three hemispherical rocks often seen in a Bushmiller landscape—just enough to communicate environment to the reader. This distillation is exemplary of the iconic, diagrammatic look of Nancy, a comic strip about the nature of what it means to be a comic strip—the perfect avatar for Griffith to expand upon his philosophy of creating comics.

“As the widest-ranging cartoon chronicler of American absurdity in our time, Bill Griffith has topped himself. This is an instant comic-strip classic!” —Matt Groening

“For many years, I’ve devoured Bill Griffith’s work. It’s always inspiring and engrossing. As it never fails to do, Griffith’s brilliance and consummate drawing chops shine through. Three Rocks is amazing!” —Emil Ferris

“A page-turning, standard-setting, must-have work of biographical art.” —Chris Ware

Bill Griffith is the creator of the syndicated daily comic strip Zippy and the author of Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead. Griffith’s prolific output has been included in such publications as the Village Voice, National Lampoon, and The New Yorker. According to Bartlett, Griffith coined the popular phrase, “Are we having fun yet?” He lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

FLOWERS AND THEIR MEANING de Karen Azoulay

Bring fresh meaning to your houseplants, bouquets, and floral arrangements with this illustrated exploration of the rituals, cultures, and mythology behind 600 blooms, herbs, and trees.

FLOWERS AND THEIR MEANING:
The Secret Language and History of 600 Blooms
by Karen Azoulay
Clarkson Potter, February 2023

In the Victorian language of flowers, hundreds of blooms were ascribed specific meanings based on mythology, science, foreign language, and ancient history. Page through this botanical encyclopedia to learn each flower’s Victorian meaning (blackberry, for example, represents « envy » while ranunculus boldly states, « I am dazzled by your charms »), other common names for the bloom, and read about each flower’s cultural history. There is also an index of the flowers grouped by theme, should you want to challenge your local florist with creating a coded message for a loved one.
Karen Azoulay pairs vintage botanical drawings with electric photography, creating a one-of-a-kind flower dictionary with a distinctly mystic feel. FLOWERS AND THEIR MEANINGS is both a beautiful volume and a practical guide to incorporating the language of flowers into your own life.

Karen Azoulay is an interdisciplinary artist and author whose performance and sculptural art explores earth-elements and the female form. Her projects have been featured and reviewed in publications such as the New York Times, New Yorker, Hyperallergic, and Vogue. Recent exhibitions include Semi-Precious, a solo show at Essex Flowers in New York, and Root of the Head at Simone DeSousa Gallery in Detroit.

TALKING TO GOD de Julia Cameron

TALKING TO GOD is another cornerstone Julia Cameron creativity book, focusing on cultivating the art of prayer in one’s life to unblock creatively and live a more authentic, joyful life. It is a perfect follow-up to The Listening Path, which shifted our perspective to the creative art of attention, fostering re-engagement with one’s environments and building deeper connections to gain insight, clarity and deepen our creativity.

TALKING TO GOD:
The Creative Art of Prayer
by Julia Cameron
St. Martin’s Press, Winter 2022
(chez David Black Literary Agency)

In another 6-week creativity program, Julia Cameron focuses on cultivating the art of prayer in one’s life to unblock creatively and live a more authentic, joyful life. TALKING TO GOD is a perfect follow-up to The Listening Path, which shifted our perspective to the creative art of attention, fostering re-engagement with one’s environments and building deeper connections to gain insight, clarity and deepen our creativity. TALKING TO GOD takes us to the next level; through inspiring stories and revealing exercises, Julia will guide her reader to find a way forward as an artist, through prayer. In another 6 week creativity program, Julia’s audience can delve into the inextricable link between spirituality and creativity, and put prayer into their daily practice. The book explores the questioning and seeking of a higher power, and finding solace, answers, gratitude, joy and creative growth through prayer.
From reframing the God concept and “praying on the page” to learning about trusting guidance, readers will see how writing is an act of prayer, that “as we take care to write what is unfolding within us, the flow of words is a flow of grace. The higher power writes through us.” Julia teaches us how life is a prayer, how prayer is woven into the very fabric of life. “For decades, I have shared this connection with my students and as they have worked with this concept, their creativity—and their connection to the divine—have consistently blossomed as well.”

Hailed by the New York Times as “The Queen of Change,” Julia Cameron is credited with starting a movement in 1992 that has brought creativity into the mainstream conversation―in the arts, in business, and in everyday life. She is the best-selling author of more than forty books, fiction and nonfiction; a poet, songwriter, filmmaker and playwright. Commonly referred to as “The Godmother” or “High Priestess” of creativity, her tools are based in practice, not theory, and she considers herself “the floor sample of her own toolkit.” The Artist’s Way has been translated into forty languages and sold over five million copies to date.

THE HOCKNEYS de John Hockney

“I have always been proud of my older siblings and felt the stories of individual determination to succeed and be themselves should be told. From inspiring parents, and my father’s philosophical comment, “Never Worry What the Neighbours Think,” (an aristocratic sentiment, as David says); we each pursued life paths that vary” – John Hockney

THE HOCKNEYS:
Never Worry What the Neighbours Think
by John Hockney
Legend Press, October 2019

The Hockneys is a never-before-seen insight into the lives of this family, from growing up in the Second World War in Bradford through to their diverse lives across three continents. Hardship, successes as well as close and complex relationships are poignantly illustrated by both famous and private pictures and paintings from David Hockney. With a rare and spirited look into the lives of an ordinary family with extraordinary stories, we begin to understand the creative freedom that led to the successful careers of all the Hockney children. How was it that a poor family from Bradford- headed by a whimsical, conscientious objector father and an intense, religiously strict mother- brought into existence an artist whose work has inspired generations?

John Hockney is a storyteller by profession, a writer and a musician. He migrated to Australia in 1968 but has retained strong ties with his large family. His brother is world renowned artist David Hockney.