Book of the Day Posted Sep 18, 2024

Book of the Day: "City Confessions #3 Paris" by Ed Templeton

We have the latest entry in our friend Ed Templeton’s City Confessions book series here at Arcana now! And they’re signed! This time around, Ed turns his uncanny, sensitive, courageous, and witty eye on Paris and Parisians. Sacre bleu! It’s our livre du jour, bien sûr! (Super Labo, 2024) From the publisher: "In this third installment of his City Confessions series Ed Templeton presents 69 black and white analog photographs shot in the city of Paris over the last 23 years. Taking long circuitous walks through the city from Montmartre to the Panthéon, from Cimetière du Père-Lachaise to the Champs-Élysées, Templeton spends his days in the streets observing the denizens of the city, both the locals and the tourists as they go about their lives in this historic metropolis. Employing a cinéma vérité style to capture people in everyday situations, the photographs depict daily life in Paris with its ebbs and flows, taking the pulse of a city whose casual chic style is unmistakable."
Book of the Day Posted Sep 04, 2024

Book of the Day: This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance

Today's book of the day is This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance. From the publisher: "The American writer and activist James Baldwin (1924–87) considered himself a 'witness' as he challenged perspectives on America and its history through his work. He was often recognized for speaking out against injustice when other like-minded artists, collaborators and organizers were overshadowed or silenced. By bringing together artworks that feature James Baldwin alongside portraits of other key figures who had an impact on his life, This Morning, This Evening, So Soon situates Baldwin among a pantheon of culture bearers who were instrumental in shaping his life and legacy, particularly in relationship to his advocacy for gay rights. The book accompanies an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, curated by the National Portrait Gallery’s Director of Curatorial Affairs, Rhea L. Combs, in consultation with Pulitzer Prize–winning author Hilton Als. Well-known portraits by Beauford Delaney and Bernard Gotfryd are shown alongside paintings, photographs and films representing key figures in Baldwin’s circle. By viewing Baldwin in this context of community, readers will come to understand how Baldwin’s sexuality and faith, artistic curiosities and notions of masculinity—coupled with his involvement in the civil rights movement—helped shape his writing and long-lasting legacy. The book relies on portraiture to explore the interwoven lives of Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry (writer and activist), Barbara Jordan (lawyer, educator and politician), Bayard Rustin (leader in social movements), Lyle Ashton Harris (artist), Essex Hemphill (poet and activist), Marlon Riggs (filmmaker, poet and activist) and Nina Simone (singer-songwriter, pianist and activist), among others." (Delmonico-D.A.P., 2024)
Book of the Day Posted Aug 31, 2024

Book of the Day: Donald Judd Furniture

"Donald Judd Furniture includes more than one hundred pieces of his furniture, spanning 1970 to 1991, designed for his living and working spaces at 101 Spring Street and in Presidio County, Texas. The publication introduces readers to Donald Judd’s furniture designs, initiated during the renovation of his home and studio at 101 Spring Street in New York, and as the result of the difficulty Judd later had in furnishing his home in Marfa, Texas. These furniture designs exemplify the directness of form and presence for which his artworks are celebrated, as well as offering a distinct and unadorned functionality. In this book they are presented through detailed drawings and breakdowns of materials, and color photography exploring their placement and function within these spaces. As well as surveying a central aspect of his work, Donald Judd Furniture details Judd’s understanding of functionality, form, and his deep interest in the possibilities of design in a world of mass-production." via MACK Books.
Book of the Day Posted Aug 30, 2024

Book of the Day: "Ghost and Spirit" by Mike Kelley

Ghost and Spirit is a new book about Mike Kelley, and… actually that’s all you might need to know. It’s a new book, copiously illustrated and with abundant essays, expertly covering the career of Mike Kelley. See you in the store soon! (Tate Modern, 2024)

 

Book of the Day Posted Aug 25, 2024

Book of the Day: I Don't Play by Sagan Lockhart

Sagan Lockhart's new photo book I Don't Play chronicles the early 2010s in the vibrant world of the Odd Future collective. This vital document of Los Angeles' near past features Odd Future members Tyler The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean, Travis Taco Bennett, Syd Tha Kid, Hodgy, and more as well as Playboi Carti, Danny Brown, Mac Miller, Lee Spielman, the cast of "Workaholics," skaters Jason Dill and Sean Pablo, and so many others. It's our book of the day!
None Posted Aug 24, 2024

Book of the Day: Provoke - Complete Reprint of 3 Volumes

Our book(s) of the day is/are this lovely bagged set of facsimiles of the legendary Japanese magazine Provoke. As the publisher tells it: “Provoke was first published in November 1968 as a dojin-shi, or self-published magazine. It was originally conceived by art critic Koji Taki (1928-2011) and photographer Takuma Nakahira (1938-2015), with poet Takahiko Okada (1939-1997) and photographer Yutaka Takanashi as dojin members. The subtitle for the magazine was 'Provocative Materials for Thought,' and each issue was composed of photographs, essays, and poems. After releasing the second and third issue with Daido Moriyama as a subsequent member, the group broke up with their last publication First, Abandon the World of Pseudo-Certainty- an overview edition of the three issues. Provoke’s grainy, blurry, and out-of-focus photographs were initially ridiculed as are-bure-boke and stirred a great deal of controversy, yet it created a strong impact inside and outside the photography world during that time. Today, Provoke has become an extremely rare book and very few people have seen the original.“ Photographic history, coming alive! (Nitesha, 2018-2024)

 

Book of the Day Posted Aug 23, 2024

Book of the Day: The Beginning Place by Yoshitomo Nara

 

Yoshitomo Nara's The Beginning Place is a career-spanning monograph published to coincide with his major solo exhibition at the Aomori Museum of Art. Covering his earliest oil paintings through his well-known 1990s work up to now, the book is also supplemented with numerous photographs and examples of compelling ephemera. Book of the day! (Seigensha, 2023)

 

Book of the Day Posted Aug 22, 2024

Book of the Day: Sacred Sites from Taschen's Library of Esoterica

Taschen’s illuminating and magickal Library of Esoterica series continues with the new volume Sacred Sites. An exploration of the history of holy and spiritual art and architecture through time and across cultures, it is a worthy addition to its predecessors—all of which are currently available at Arcana. This, of course, is our book of the day. (Taschen, 2024)
Book of the Day Posted Aug 21, 2024

Book of the Day: Good Luck Spa by Gabriella Talassazan

Photographer Gabriella Talassazan’s new monograph Good Luck Spa simply brims with sensitively and humorously observed portraits and still lifes. It’s the book of the day! (Friend Editions, 2024)

 

Events Posted Apr 23, 2024

Jim Ganzer at Arcana Saturday 4/27!

Join us Saturday, April 27th, between 4:00 and 6:00 PM for a book signing with OG coastal cultural icon Jim Ganzer to celebrate the publication of his brand new, limited edition photographic memoir from the creative folks at Indoek: Life Lived.
 
If you cannot attend and would like to order a signed copy to have shipped or to pick up at the shop, please place your order here.
We look forward to seeing you!
 
"Jim Ganzer is widely known as a Malibu surf legend and an underground LA icon. He and his group of surf friends inspired the 1978 film, Big Wednesday, written and directed by John Milius. When the Coen brothers were developing The Big Lebowski, Milius introduced them to Ganzer, who influenced Jeff Bridges’ famous character, The Dude. A graduate of Chouinard Art Institute, Jim Ganzer emerged as an artist when the surf and skate culture-inspired world was not yet a billion-dollar industry, but an afterthought in a mostly hardware-focused segment. He became the voice of the subculture in the ’80s for inventing innovative garments combining form with function for his surf and skatewear brand, Jimmy’Z. Ganzer collaborated with Ed Ruscha on several works, such as 'Brave Men Run in My Family' and 'Sea of Desire' and also starred in Ruscha’s film, Miracle. He has shown his art in many esteemed group and solo exhibits in California and all over the world since 1971."
more