Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

I am a lens based artist from India, and Singapore has been home for me since 2021. My practice centres around lived experiences with a particular interest in themes of personal memory and identity. I use different mediums to articulate these themes: photography, alternative photographic processes, video art and the book form.

 

Are there certain themes, formats, or visual styles in art books that you’re instinctively drawn to?

As an artist working with photography, I am quite drawn to books that play with imagery, form and content. I am also interested in collecting photobooks from South Asia that narrate stories that are personal, social and political, sometimes collaborative. Since 2021 I have been adding to my collection beautiful books and zines from this region – I have some interesting works by artists from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong.

 

 

Could you share some of your publishing projects?

My practice of working with the book form started in 2020 when I made my first book Jolly Bird with the artist collective I was a part of at the time, Kānike. It was a way for us to articulate our experiences during the severe lockdowns at the time, through prose, photography, printmaking and poetry. It was an edition of 50, all hand-bound and were sold out through pre-orders within a day, which was super encouraging!

In 2022, I self-published a small artist book titled 24 Slides that examines personal archives and found photographs and overlays them with childhood memories of a time of war. It was an edition of 150, and travelled and sold primarily across various book fairs in Europe, US and Asia including the Singapore Art Book Fair.

My recent publication is a very personal photobook titled How To Climb A Tree that looks at photography as a way to anchor or root memories within a space and time, through my relationship with my son. The book made it to the Winners list at the Belfast Photo Festival 2024, shortlisted at the Diecixdieci Photography Festival, Italy and the Athens Photo Festival. It is an edition of 440, and is currently selling through various photobook stores in the US, Europe, India and in Singapore.

I find the book form exciting, and a great way to share my work.

 

If your bookshelf had a personality, what would it be like?

 

I think my shelf is very eclectic, speaks in different voices, and has different kinds of conversations with me :) !

 

Have you ever regretted buying or not buying a book/zine?

Oh for sure! Either I couldn’t afford it at the time, or I thought I could go back and buy it but never did! Or it's out of print now.

 

What’s a hidden gem in your collection?

That’s a tough one. One I can think of off the top of my mind is Portal: The Curious Account of Achintya Bose. This is a photobook that blurs the line between fiction and reality, presenting itself as a personal diary and archive of Achintya Bose, a studio photographer in Calcutta, India. It explores themes of vernacular photography, local history, and the nature of photographic evidence, all within the framework of a mystery thriller. Every visual element was meticulously re-created by the artist Shan Bhattacharya. It's very, very meta! A bit like The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew.

 

What is the earliest and latest publication you acquired?

My earliest photobook was in 2013 called File Room by the very well known artist Dayanita Singh. The book speaks of the artist’s relationship with paper and photography, and is also seen as an archive of archives. She documents endless file rooms in legal courts, state archives, municipal offices and other government institutions across India. This fantastic book is signed by the author and was a gift to me from a dear friend.

 

 

The most recent book I bought is a work titled The Poverty Line by the Singaporean duo Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin. This fascinating photobook is a visual exploration of poverty lines in many countries through the intersection of food, economics and access.

 

What do you generally look for at an art book fair? Do you have tips for navigating the space/exhibitors/content?

I love the buzz of book fairs. Art book fairs to me are a great way to look for difficult to get artist books, meet publishers from various regions, discover artists I am not familiar with. I can hold, flip, (smell!), browse the pages before deciding what to buy. I typically walk around, look at those that catch my eye, and trace my path to buy what I love to bring home. Unless of course I fall in love right away! And I am terrible at keeping to a budget! It’s always double the fun when I go with at least one friend, and discuss our stash over a coffee after we are spent :) !

 

Images of Aparna by Pixie Tan

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I Am [ ] & These Are My Art Books is an interview series by Thing Books that explores what makes an art book matter through the shelves of those who collect, read, and live with them.