True art doesn’t date, but it does get lost amongst Twitter feeds, email subscription newsletters and bookshop shelves. In an oversaturated flood of media, from photo zines to art exhibitions, it’s easy to find yourself out of the loop – but that just makes stumbling upon such treasures so much more rewarding. Missed Ed Templeton’s hormone-fuelled Teenage Kissers from 2011? Or Ken Kagami’s bizarre ode to The Simpsons earlier this year? Not to worry because we’ve asked Antenne – international distributor and publisher of some of the best art books out there – to give us their choice of the timeless publications you should be stocking your shelves with.
“We've had a few books that pay homage to Ed Rushca's amazing books and we love them. This cover typeface alone is an unmistakable nod towards the master of photo books. The repetition of a subject matter makes us smile also.”
“The unedited and candid nature of Ari's work is perfect for zine format. Wandering takes us through his adopted home of New York. Published by Innen Zines. Chloë Sevigny’s No Time For Love is another zine from Innen. Sevigny demonstrates how love is often fleeting with her personal collection of photographs. Anything attached to this iconic face is a sure fire hit.”
“Published by Seems, Teenage Kissers still remains one of the quickest titles to sell out. Templeton has a real loyal following with the majority of his publications selling out and becoming collectibles. His work celebrates youth, even for its awkwardness, and this book is a really beautiful example of this.”
Teenage KissersPhotography Ed Templeton, via Antenne
“The first in a series of 'visual self help' guides from Rory DCS. It seems our customers can't get enough of this visual party. We're looking forward to seeing what he has lined up for issue 2.”
“We can't talk about zines without mentioning Nieves; the undisputed hero of the ephemeral. Bizarre and amusing, Kagami’s distinctive works are characterised by their simple expression of conflicting ideas.”
“The smallest of our selection, this little number is published by Harmonica Books. Philippe Weisbecker has been filling old notebooks with themed drawings for years and this book is the result of his fascination with a single building made up of smaller buildings.”
104 BatimentsIllustration Philippe Weisbecker, via Antenne
“Toronto based Smoke Room functions as a platform for young and emerging photographers. Issue 5 is in the hands of Jon Dragonette. Made in editions of just 200, these are rare imports from across the pond.”
“BOYO zine presents the periodical obsessions of Patrick Waugh. As a designer at Arena Homme Plus, Waugh created collages with imagery found in the office. This issue pays tribute to one of Antenne's favourite photographers, Alasdair McLellan.”
