Author: ftnbooks

Charles Avery has devoted himself to an unparalleled project of constructing a world, through his depiction of a make-believe island. “The Islanders” presents a meticulous portrayal of the inhabitants, landscape, and civilization of this fictional island, conveyed through extensive drawings, writings, objects, architecture, and design.

Throughout the course of this twenty-year undertaking, Avery has precisely calibrated his imaginary world around the focal point of “The Island” – the hub of his created universe, amidst a multitude of other constituents in the form of an archipelago. The entrance to this island is the town of Onomatopoeia, a city with a rich texture, exhibiting the characteristics of an ever-evolving urban landscape. Originally serving as a launching pad for pioneering settlers, this town underwent a rapid metamorphosis, transitioning from a colonial outpost to a booming metropolis, bustling with life and prosperity, then succumbing to the depths of a depression-stricken slum, before finally rejuvenating itself as a hub of cultural and tourist attraction. The culture and fabric of the Island, continuously shaped by Avery, are further illuminated with each of his subsequent works.

The essence of Avery’s imaginary Island is deeply intertwined with the disciplines and concepts of mathematics, philosophy, economics, and anthropology, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of literary and comedic sources. Key elements from his drawings are masterfully brought to life in the form of his sculptures and installations. Embedded within many of his works is the central motif of the horizon line, a continuum that holds a magnetic allure for the Islanders. To them, it represents a paradox – something tangible yet made up of nothing – drawing them towards an intangible enigma. As Avery himself puts it, the Island is “both a playground for the imagination and a sincere attempt to align the viewer’s experience with that of the artist.”

www.ftn-books.com has several Avery publications now available.

Ivan Cazzola, an Italian photographer, has dedicated countless years to his craft, capturing the essence of fashion and beauty for prestigious publications in Milan, London, Paris, and New York. Beyond his mastery in photography, Ivan’s artistic abilities extend to documentary filmmaking and directing various media projects, each imbued with his unique perspective and flair.

Constantly navigating between the glamour of fashion and the allure of natural surroundings, Ivan finds inspiration in the intimate and autobiographical realms of his own neighborhood. From photographing models and artists to capturing the raw beauty of rock bands, cinema stars, and even more unconventional subjects such as prostitutes and gypsies – to Ivan, each moment is an opportunity to capture the essence of the present.

In recent months, Ivan has found himself immersed in his latest venture: directing his first film. In addition, he has also curated a new exhibition, showcasing his most captivating shots from both American and European cities and landscapes. With Ivan’s keen eye and incomparable skill, his work is a testament to the raw, enigmatic beauty that surrounds us all.

www.ftn-books.com has the Deininger gallery invitation now available.

The approach of Michael Johansson (1975) involves collecting, organizing, stacking, and puzzling. He gathers everyday objects and gives them a new form and context in his sculptures and installations. Scouring flea markets and thrift stores, he collects old televisions, transistor radios, VCRs, and other equipment and items. He then arranges them by color and brings them all together into one new object. His artworks are often described as ‘real life Tetris’. He constructs these sculptures not only for museum exhibitions all over the world, but also in public spaces, such as alleys and doorways.

Johansson is inspired by the coincidences in daily life, such as the same colors and patterns in objects, two people passing each other dressed in the same clothes, or a parking garage full of red cars. During his visits to flea markets, he is fascinated by the possibility of encountering double or almost identical objects. The same principle is at the core of his artistic practice: the desire to combine something recognizable and then create something unique from it.

www.ftn-books.com has the Ramakers invitation now available.

Benjamin “Ben” Vautier, widely recognized as Ben, is a prominent French artist whose influential contributions to contemporary art are celebrated worldwide. Residing and working in Nice, he once ran a record store called Magazin from 1958 to 1973, immersing himself in the cultural and artistic life of the city.

Ben was born on July 18, 1935, into a French family in Naples, in the then Kingdom of Italy, and is a descendant of esteemed Swiss painter Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier (1829-1898). His artistic journey was largely shaped by encounters with Yves Klein and the Nouveau Réalisme movement in the 1950s. However, Ben’s interests evolved rapidly, leading him towards the pioneering works of French Dadaist Marcel Duchamp and the avant-garde compositions of John Cage. In 1959, he launched the magazine Ben Dieu, marking the beginning of his active involvement in the art world. In 1960, Ben organized his first solo exhibition, Rien et tout, at Laboratoire 32.

A significant turning point in Ben’s artistic career occurred in October 1962 when he joined George Maciunas and became a key figure in the Fluxus movement. This alliance reinforced his dedication to challenging the conventional boundaries of art and culture. Ben is best known for his text-based artworks or écritures, initiated in 1953. These works, such as Il faut manger. Il faut dormir and L’art est inutile. Rentrez chez vous (Art is Useless, Go Home), combine visual arts with textual commentary, offering profound reflections on daily life and the nature of art itself. His provocative statement “KUNST IST ÜBERFLÜSSIG” (Art is superfluous), prominently displayed at Documenta 5 in 1972, exemplifies his ability to engage and confront public discourse on art.

Throughout his entire career, Ben has been a vocal advocate for the rights of minorities, drawing inspiration from the theories of François Fontan on ethnism, particularly defending the Occitan language of Southern France. In 1981, he played a crucial role in defining the French art movement of the 1980s, known as Figuration Libre (Free Figuration).

Ben Vautier’s work has been celebrated internationally, with pieces displayed in prestigious collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. His significant installation, Magasin permanent, is permanently on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2022, the MUAC in Mexico City curated one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Vautier’s work, organized by Ferran Barenblit, further solidifying his status as a critical figure in the landscape of contemporary art.

www.ftn-books.com has several BEN publications available.

Eva Schlegel was born in 1960, in Hall, Tirol. Marking the beginning of her journey as an artist, she attended the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst (University of Applied Arts) in Vienna, benefiting greatly from the tutelage of Oswald Oberhuber (1979–1985). It was during this period that her multifaceted skills blossomed and she delved into various modes of expression. From 1997 to 2006, she imparted her wisdom as a university professor for art and photography at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

Her artistic focus, primarily through the medium of photography, centers around the potential for aestheticism found in the ordinary, the mundane, and the intimate yet oft-overlooked aspects of our daily lives. Through delicate manipulations, erasures, blurrings, and omissions, these captured moments are elevated to the realms of art.

In 1995, she was a featured artist in the Venice Biennale, under the commissioner Peter Weibel. Her work adorned the facade of the exhibition building with a fusion of text and imagery. In 2011, she was honored with the title of commissioner for the Austrian contribution to the 54th Venice Biennale.

In 2014, Schlegel was commissioned to design the glass windows of the new roof structure in Vienna’s Museum Quarter, the MQ-Libelle. The following year, she was tasked with revamping the front page of the Austrian newspaper Die Presse. In April of the same year, her steel pyramid memorial titled “369 weeks,” was unveiled at the Vienna Regional Criminal Court to commemorate over 1,200 judicial victims of the National Socialist regime. As a light installation on the exterior wall of the court, it represents the 369 weeks of Nazi rule in Vienna.

Some of her recent exhibitions include “In the now: Gender and Nation in Europe” at LACMA in Los Angeles, USA (2022) featuring selections from the Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection, and an exhibition at the Museum Hartberg (2022).

www.ftn-books.com has the FALLING CLOUDS invitation now available.

In 1952, an elusive creator by the name of Hubert de Givenchy, who had just collaborated with the iconic Elsa Schiaparelli, inaugurated the doors to his eponymous brand at the Plaine Monceau in Paris. During this time, acclaimed actress Audrey Hepburn was scouting locations to film the renowned motion picture Sabrina in the City of Lights. Determined to procure the perfect garments, she took it upon herself to seek out the enigmatic Givenchy, unknown to him at the time. Despite being turned down for designing gowns for Sabrina, Hepburn remained optimistic and cordially invited the fledgling designer to dine with her. As they delved into conversation and forged a bond, the inception of their enduring camaraderie took root.

The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag devoted a special exhibition to their friendship and cooperation.

The special invitation for the opening to this exhibition is now availabel at www.ftn-books.com

Many years ago, Jan Wattjes (The Hague, 1981) was first nominated for the Royal Award for Contemporary Painting. That year, the event took place at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. His encounter with gallery owner Jeroen Dijkstra resulted in his first exhibition at the Livingstone Gallery, titled Fresh Paint. This fruitful and enduring collaboration is now celebrated with the exhibition Still Fresh Paint, highlighting Jan Wattjes’ ability to continuously innovate within his recurring themes.

In this exhibition, we see how Jan Wattjes, through his own unique perspective on the world and his distinct approach to painting, continues to surprise us. His broad range of imagination, from figurative expressionist to minimalist, always remains unexpectedly logical and true to his original principles. From The Artist Studio to White Cube Concept, to his latest exhibition Form & Content (from which five paintings were recently acquired by the Kunstmuseum The Hague).

After a successful period of work in the Livingstone Projects studio in Berlin in 2014, where he roamed the city with paint cans in hand and portrayed the facades of the main galleries and museums, Jan Wattjes takes it a step further. His art world expands in the summer of 2015 with abstracted facades of empty galleries in cities such as New York, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and The Hague, where the well-known white cube is transformed into a conceptual form.

These empty spaces depict the twilight zone between exhibitions. His previously explored concept of the Mental Studio (The Mobile Studio) in 2010 (the artwork before materializing) becomes a sort of Mental Gallery (The White Cube), the exhibition before it becomes reality, and the imaginative possibility for the artist to exhibit his work anywhere.

www.ftn-books.com has now the invitation for his white cube concept paintings available.

Gerritsen’s artistic focus primarily revolves around human figures, each captured with a plethora of emotions conveyed through their expressions and posture. Each subject appears to be embroiled in some captivating narrative. His paintings often invoke a sense of discomfort upon closer inspection, as they challenge and question our societal norms.

The characters portrayed in Gerritsen’s works often belong to the outskirts of society; from criminals to vulnerable individuals such as traumatized children, harassed women, and psychiatric patients. Secluded from the rest of the world, they hold a deeper meaning that is not always easily comprehensible. Gerritsen’s paintings immediately captivate the viewer with their vibrant and bold colors. Unlike the photographs that served as his inspiration, he strived to avoid the chilling atmosphere that they often portrayed. As Gerritsen himself stated, “A good painting must entice with its beauty and aesthetics, but it must also leave an indelible mark on the mind.”

Every composition, regardless of how stark or minimalistic it may seem, holds multiple layers of significance that can be linked to contentious aspects of our daily lives, no matter where we reside in the world.

In one of his most colorful paintings, “England, London,” a group of people confront the viewer, exuding an air of agitation. It is unclear if they are part of a demonstration or fleeing from some impending danger. This artwork was inspired by a photograph Gerritsen came across in a newspaper, depicting a group of people being evacuated after the 2005 attack on the London Underground.

Another painting captures a man sitting on a bench, adorned in a bright red jacket with his tie flapping in the wind. At first glance, he appears to be peacefully asleep. Yet, upon closer inspection, his pale face suggests that he may actually be deceased. Gerritsen himself remarked on this artwork, stating “I intentionally left it ambiguous whether he is dead or sleeping. If I were to provide a definitive answer, I would restrict my creative process.”

After receiving an education from trade school, Gerritsen pursued his passion to become a confectioner. However, his innate talent for drawing led him to enroll in the art academy in Arnhem after completing his military training. Over the course of eighteen months, he honed his skills and developed an extensive body of work including drawings, paintings, objects, installations, and performances. This impressive collection revolves around his captivation with human expression and its profound impact.

Drawing inspiration from art history, visual media, scientific discoveries, and his surroundings, Gerritsen’s first exhibition in 1972 in Arnhem was an instant sell-out. Despite his success in the art world, he decided to put aside his paintbrush and pursue a career as a creative therapist, a venture driven by his insatiable curiosity. However, in the early 1980s, he reignited his passion for painting and picked up his paintbrush once again.

www.ftn-books.com has several publications on Gerritsen available.

Shirin Neshat is an artist and filmmaker from Iran, now residing in the bustling metropolis of New York City. In 2022, Neshat’s riveting body of work was featured in a comprehensive installation, aptly titled “Land of Dreams,” at The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto in Toronto, with further exhibitions at SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico. In 2019, a retrospective exhibition entitled “Shirin Neshat: I Will Greet the Sun Again” was held at The Broad in Los Angeles, followed by a tour to The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Her solo shows have graced prestigious institutions worldwide, including ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Copenhagen, Musée de l’Eysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Other significant venues include Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, Kunstraum Dornbirn in Dornbirn, Austria, Kunsthalle Tübingen in Tübingen, Germany, and Museo Correr in Venice, Italy. She has also had the honor of exhibiting at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C., Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Serpentine Gallery in London, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. One of Neshat’s most celebrated retrospectives was featured at the esteemed Detroit Institute of Arts in 2013. Throughout her illustrious career, she has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion Award at the 48th Biennale di Venezia (1999), the Hiroshima Freedom Prize (2005), the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize (2006), and the Praemium Imperiale Prize (2017). In 2009, Neshat made her directorial debut with the captivating feature film “Women Without Men,” which received the Silver Lion Award for “Best Director” at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.

www.ftn-books.com has several Neshat publications now available.

Anne Geene & Arjan de Nooy loosely base The Universal Photographer on Gustave Flaubert’s unfinished novel Bouvard et Pécuchet from 1881. In this work, two middle-aged men study a wide range of fields, from chemistry and psychology to religion and agriculture. Like these characters, U. had a tendency to study, copy, collect, combine, and investigate – and like them, he lacked common sense. This resulted in unusual methods, peculiar preferences, and naive solutions to self-created problems.

The systematic documentation employed by Anne Geene & Arjan de Nooy is reminiscent of the work of Christian Boltanski, such as his Archives du Cœur, a continuously growing archive of heartbeats from people all over the world. Similar to Mariken Wessels, who had a solo exhibition at the Hague Photo Museum last year, Geene & De Nooy create a fictional story based on their own and found photos. The work also invites a comparison to Hans Eijkelboom through the use of photography as a conceptual medium and, not least, the incorporation of dry humor.

www.ftn-books.com has now the invitation for thier exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag available.