Introducing....BLOC

BLOC is our new triannual magazine curated by the team here at Soi Books.

BLOC is a limited edition release with a focus on illustration, collage, and poster design. It contains no articles, no advertisements, and going forward, each issue will have a loose theme.

One of the biggest reasons we created BLOC is to present the work of our wider network of artists.

With so many layouts we do and so many titles we produce, as publishers and artists ourselves, we enjoy a creative outlet that is not overthought. We also need a place to work out ideas and have an element of creative ambiguity. BLOC exists to help us grow concepts, improvise, hash out ideas and keep things fresh with all the artists we know.

The visual identity of BLOC is based on us making these photo collages, illustrations, and poster designs work together in a framework that is refreshing and unique. We want the audience to stand up and notice the work and not take much notice of the layout of the paper stock.

It’s a very collaborative publication between artists, publishers, and readers.

BLOC aims to curate a diverse range of illustration styles, ranging from bold and graphic to whimsical and intricate. Each page of BLOC unveils a captivating illustration that tells a story, evokes emotions, or challenges traditional boundaries. Whether it's digital or traditional mediums, BLOC celebrates the power of illustration as a means of artistic expression.

Introducing Publish Me - CREATE, PRINT AND SELL YOUR BOOK

Soi Books | PublishMe

Introducing our new hybrid publishing model which offers authors, artists, and collaborators more autonomy and control over the creation of their book, catalogue, zine or monograph. 

PublishMe offers a unique opportunity for authors, artists, and art spaces to bring their creative visions to life by working with a creative team and having access to a range of features and support designed to make every artist's dream book a reality.

Choosing the Perfect Format:

PublishMe simplifies the book creation process by providing artists with a simple format to choose from that caters to different artistic needs. Artists simply need to select their desired images for inclusion and then choose from three sizing options: A6, A5, or A4. A6 is ideal for artist monographs and giving a behind-the-scenes insight into their lives. A5 is perfect for focusing on a specific subject or area of work, and A4 is designed to impress and showcase artistic talent.

Expert Assistance from Soi Books Creative Team:

Once the format is chosen, the award-winning creative team at Soi Books takes over. They collaborate with the artists, ensuring that the book design reflects their unique vision. Within a reasonable timeframe of 1-3 weeks, depending on the price model selected by the author, Soi Books provides a digital book mock-up. This step enables artists to visualize their creations and make any necessary adjustments, ensuring the final product meets their expectations.

Empowering Artists with Additional Support:

One of the key advantages of PublishMe is the additional PR and Marketing support provided by Soi Books' experienced Head of Campaigns. This personalized assistance ensures that artists receive the necessary exposure for their book to reach a wider audience. Through targeted marketing strategies, promotional campaigns, and media outreach, Soi Books maximizes the visibility of each book, creating a solid foundation for its success.

Soi Books' PublishMe platform empowers artists, authors, and art spaces to bring their dream books to life with unparalleled creative control. With a range of format options, expert assistance from the Soi Books creative team, flexible pricing packages, and comprehensive PR and Marketing support, PublishMe offers a unique opportunity for artists to showcase their talent and share their vision with the world. Soi Books' commitment to nurturing creativity and providing an inclusive publishing platform makes PublishMe a valuable resource for artists seeking to make their mark in the literary world.

Studio Visit. Remi Rough - Reconnecting With Past Collaborators.

Working with all the artists we know is always a rewarding experience, but sometimes it's even more special when that artist is a longtime friend and collaborator. For Ryo and I, Remi Rough was an old mate with whom we collaborated on various art projects, including the Stickerbomb books. After years of being out of touch, we recently reconnected and had the opportunity to visit his new studio and see his new work. We were blown away by his books, his new work, and all the projects he is cooking up!

Remi Rough is an artist from England whose career began as a street artist in the 1980s before moving on to gallery art. His works feature abstract shapes with straight edges in vivid colors, and his pieces have been displayed all over the world, including Hong Kong, Paris, and Tokyo.

Our early collaboration with Remi was a significant part of our journey. He was part of a number of our early Stickerbomb book releases and helped us put together our first Stickerbomb book launch. But after moving abroad, we lost touch, and it was not until recently that we reconnected. Seeing his new work and catching up on old times was a heartwarming experience. We talked about our past projects, shared stories and ideas, and discovered that we still have a lot in common.

Reconnecting with Remi Rough was an inspiring experience. We realized how great it would be to collaborate once more and going forward we will cook up some great books, exhibitions and more.

Check out Remi Rough’s site here, https://www.remirough.com/

The Real Virus - Juan Cevallos

Juan Cevallos has a new exhibition in Taitung Art Museum, Taiwan titled The Real Virus. Below is his artist statement.

As a visual testimony that certifies that we exist in the world, photographic portraits allow us to transcend death and be reborn in front of the eyes of those who look at us. This project shows portraits of women and girls who were victims of femicide during the health emergency in Ecuador caused by COVID-19. During the long months of isolation and quarantine the cases of femicide increased significantly in Ecuador, the home, which was supposed to function as a family shelter to avoid the spread of a potentially deadly virus, was transmuted into a crime scene where many women were trapped along with family members who became their executioners.

The portraits of the victims have been printed on disposable beverage cans, showing faces without natural figuration, which have been destroyed to make the viewer’s eyes imagine the terrible torments these women and girls suffered when they lost their lives as a result of male violence.

The bodies of many of the victims were thrown in ravines, water reservoirs, or abandoned in the streets, for this purpose I used disposable cans as a canvas to depict the portraits as an analogy of the little interest that the murderers of the victims showed when they discarded the bodies of their wives or daughters like any ordinary object.

Format: 20 beverage cans (Approx. 18cm x 12cm) and Photographic emulsion.

Soi Books Goes to The London Book Fair

Attending the London Book Fair is always an exciting experience for those in the publishing industry, and this year was no exception for all of us at Soi Books. The team had the pleasure of meeting partners and collaborators from the USA, Europe, and Asia, making the fair an invaluable opportunity to expand our network, foster new relationships, and get some good learnings down.

Meeting people face-to-face after having worked together remotely for some time was easily the biggest win for us. Being able to discuss ideas, projects, and future collaborations in person made a significant impact on what we want to do going forward. It also helped us understand more of what is wanted and needed and how we can improve our business and our books.

We were able to showcase our list of titles, shared many samples, and showcased one of our key titles, The Craft Beer Sticker Book which contains 300 stickers from 38 breweries around the world.

We’re very happy to report back that the book was met with a lot of interest, and great feedback which makes the June launch very exciting for us.

In addition to networking and learning, the fair provided a chance for us as a team and a crew to bond as this was the first time most of us at Soi Books had the pleasure to meet in person. This of course means good food and a few beers.

Beyond the business aspects, the London Book Fair was also an opportunity for us to explore the latest developments in the industry and take inspiration from some of our favorite arts publishers. Overall it was such an invaluable experience for us as a business and a team and all of us took a big step forward in understanding where we stand and how we should move forward.

Next stop Frankfurt Book Fair!

Research and Documentary Photography in Mariso, Makassar, Indonesia.

Our first photography journal Plaza features Indonesian photographer Aziziah ‘ Zizi’ Diah Aprilya who works as a researcher at the Tanahindie Institute, an urban research institution based in Makassar, Indonesia. She’s been documenting the area of Mariso and the issues around reclaiming.

Makassar is located on the southwestern coast of Sulawesi Island, facing the Makassar Strait. It became a cosmopolitan world port thanks to the spice routes in the early 17th century, with many considering the sea as Makassar's backyard. The city has always been closely linked to maritime activities both geographically and culturally. However, it is ironic to witness Mariso, one of the districts closest to the sea and the primary source of Makassar's essence, being transformed through reclamation projects. Most of its sea area has been converted into land, with sand mined from the seabed around Makassar. Unfortunately, this process of sea sand mining has caused abrasion in the fishing coast, damaged the coral reef ecosystem, and led to a decline in fish populations.

My project focuses on the coastal area in Makassar that has been reclaimed since the 1970s, with a particular focus on the district of Mariso. I document how the reclamation has changed things, including the relocation of many residents who once lived in stilt houses above the sea to flats, and the fact that some fishermen have stopped going to sea and are now working in the city. Additionally, sea animals that were once easy to catch are now disappearing, raising concerns about food security and biodiversity loss.

In short, the reclamation projects have had a profound impact on the coastal ecosystem and the communities that rely on it, highlighting the complex trade-offs between economic development, environmental sustainability, and social justice. The reclamation on the coast of Mariso has moved not only humans physically but also the spaces they were familiar with. Their ecosystem, which was originally centered on the sea, is now becoming land, changing their livelihoods, neighbors, and communal spaces until it is as simple as the view from the house window. This situation makes me wonder whether the people and the sea really have to give in the name of modernization, for a city that is running so it doesn't feel left behind.

It is worth noting that the Provincial Government recently signed an agreement with a developer regarding an advanced reclamation project called “Centre Point of Indonesia”. This project will reclaim an area of 12.11 hectares with an investment value of Rp3.5 trillion. Unfortunately, this will make it more challenging for fishermen who not only live in Mariso but also other districts in Makassar.

Aziziah 'Zizi' Diah Aprilya is a photographer and researcher who is featured in Plaza 01. You can find out more about her on her Instagram profile here: https://www.instagram.com/aziziahprilya/ and on the Tanahindie Institute website here: https://tanahindie.org/.

How We…Make Art And Photography Books

Since 2006 we’ve authored books….hardback books, street art books, gifts and gift books. We’ve developed stationery, sticker packs and our well known sticker book series, Stickerbomb.

Now, it’s not always the case that authors make good publishers, but already as we make the move from one side of making books to the other, we’ve come across a lot of advantages that we as authors bring to the publishing process. This includes:

  1. Understanding the process. As we’ve authored a lot of art books, we know the process of compiling, getting the right feedback and formatting.

  2. History. We’ve put in the time with books and, naturally, we’ve built up a few connections. This has helped as we crew-up across the business.

  3. Empathy. More than anything, as authors and as artists ourselves, we understand the challenges and struggles. We know the pain points that start from the basic ‘need to make some money’ to the more nuanced ‘need to raise my profile’, ‘need some more work out there’, ‘difficult to find the time’, ‘need a break’ etc. This allows us to be flexible and pragmatic but also know how and when to push.

Other factors include: having a solid creative vision, being entrepreneurial and getting a project over the finishing line, which is something we pride ourselves on and have taken into making Soi Books work.

What It Takes To Make A Book

Making a book requires time, effort, and attention to detail. You need to have a clear idea of what your book will be about and who you are speaking to. This helps determine the content, the range of content, your tone, the style and format, and ultimately how many copies you should print.

Next is all about the research. You have to gather the necessary information. This can include interviewing experts, visiting key locations and amassing visuals. Here is where you also want to sort out your clearance and rights issues and making sure your legals are in order.

Once you have your content, you need to organize it in a logical and visually appealing way. This may involve creating an outline, selecting fonts and layouts, the general flow of the book and deciding on the size and format of your book. It’s also likely that during this process you will need to work with editors and designers to refine your content, ensure its accuracy, relevance and quality and thats where the cohesive visual style is really cemented and this can take time.

Finally, you will need to make sure all the files, pictures, and text are at a good quality. Then it moves into the production stage where you work with a printer and/or distributor to produce and distribute your book. This often involves negotiating contracts, arranging for printing and shipping, and marketing and promoting your book to potential readers and retailers.

For publishers, there are a lot of extra considerations, from marketability, artist/author reputation, the quality of the work, what it represents and of how much money can be made.

Making a good book isn’t easy. But with hard work and perseverance, you can create a beautiful and impactful book.

How We…Ran An Art Gallery and Curated Exhibitions in Bangkok, Thailand

The SPACE, Bangkok

Ten years ago, we curated, managed, and ran an art gallery on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, Thailand. With regular film nights, a curated show almost every month, dinners and dances, and co-working events it was a lot of fun where we learned a lot.

The Space, Bangkok.

Both sets of lettering were by KIMES, one of Bangkok’s notorious graffiti writers. SRK was the creative studio we ran and did up until 2017.

Running an art gallery takes a lot of time and needs a combination of creativity, business acumen, and people skills. It is challenging and rewarding but it is a lot of work and there were a lot of takeaways for us.

  1. Location. We were in an area of Bangkok that was not easy to visit, especially for tourists. It was fine for those that knew Bangkok and the area, but it was difficult for us to generate foot traffic.

  2. Curating. Choosing artists that reflected what we were about was a big focus. We were back then still making books but we also ran a creative studio. We had access to a lot of artists who trusted us and sent their work through. Some sold, some didn’t but the experience of curating, framing, and hanging artwork is a skill we still use today.

Omer and Bow hanging a XEME piece.

3. PR/Marketing. As well as online listings and old-school flyering at bars, cafes and restaurants, Facebook was key at the time and became a powerful tool for us. Today we would use various social media and probably even consider working with influencers, bloggers and media outlets to increase our reach. But you can never underestimate how important PR and marketing is.

Running an art gallery in Bangkok was a challenging but rewarding experience. We supported a lot of local and regional artists and contributed to the city's vibrant arts scene and we developed a huge range of skills that we apply still today.

In the end, we shut for a variety of reasons.

We found being locked into one location tiring. Managing a large space is never easy and the pressure to entertain, contribute and make the most of our position was stressful. At the time we were also shooting more commercials and needed to be nimble and the responsibility to put on events and be tied into the community was something that was becoming a drain.

Now we’re running Soi Books full time (and not running a creative studio), we’ll be looking at collaborating with other galleries and continue promoting and supporting the art we enjoy and love.

Stormie Mills on Street art, Graffiti and The Final Frontier Of Humanity

"When you are starting you can be free with what you do. You can experiment, be bold, and adventurous, as you move along the line of life this changes and so the challenge becomes to keep that, to be what you were when you started, to refer to your youth in a way that keeps things saying something, to speak of the past with a gentle understanding and make images that talk to the times we are in."

For almost three decades, Australian artist Stormie Mills explored the realms of humanity through his enigmatic, whimsical characters that touch the human spirit — its strength, struggle, and triumphs. In this interview, he delved into his beginnings, the in-between, and what artists today should remember.

You started doing graffiti in 1984 - how was the street art scene back then? And how has it changed over the years?

It was sometime around then - maybe a bit earlier. I used to write 82 after one of my tags because I'd first done some graffiti at that time. For me, there wasn't a street art scene or a graffiti scene in the city I lived in. There was graffiti-like, "Fred says, No Nukes' or "this used to be the land of laughing trees" - social-political statement stuff. What was going on was in the background of music video clips coming in from New York like Rock Steady Crew's "Hey you".

I had already heard Blondie's "Rapture' on a plane trip from Europe to Australia and loved it "Beat Street" came out in the cinema and had a lot of set painted graffiti in it.

The combination of visuals and music kept drawing my interest deeper. So I was being more and more influenced by this new thing from afar and my drawings reflected that until one night the influence meant I had to go out and paint in the streets.

The predominant theme in your work revolves around sadness, isolation, and human emotions - how did it start?

It is all of those things but it is also about internal strength, mental strength, and intestinal fortitude.

In my childhood, I found reading to be very difficult because of dyslexia and learning difficulties. When I was very young I carried around a book on the Battle of Waterloo, I didn't understand a word but I liked the illustrations of ships. Then, I discovered Roald Dahl and his stories were captivating and words also came with Sir Quentin Blakes illustrations which really started me drawing. From figures to people to flying to cupboards, or people flying on cupboards!

The thing about graffiti writing was there were also figures (characters) used to accent the lettering. This is what drew me in. Many years later of doing these figures, of naturally being drawn to them, to create them, I took some time to go through everything I did and discovered their iconic themes in life, struggle, and death.

I began to focus on these and what it meant and how to turn this into something that had meaning, not just something that was about self. 

When was it you started to develop an interest in visual/street arts?

Painting came along later but as a kid a lot of the time I was drawing. So for me, the drawing and painting connect was in the early '80s. My very first awareness of painting walls outside was in the late 70's. I saw a film on TV about a kid in New York and he did some graffiti - someone's name on a wall and I liked that idea. So again in the 80's I was able to connect the concepts and started making my own work.

Do you remember the very first paid job you had?

My first paid job might have been a canvas for a guy that owned a shop - he wanted something for his kid, but I don't think I really made any money from making paintings or walls for a very long time.

It was never about making money - often it wasn't about even getting paid. It was about making artwork, trying to say something which cost me more than I have made, but I am richer in spirit because of this.

What is your favourite piece of work you've done and why?

My answer to that question has always been my last one and my next one, but really there isn't any one favourite for any one reason.

Every time you paint something you learn. Every time you paint something there are many different successes and failures. This is for me the process of making works. The action of this is important to the contribution of the work, its environment and ultimately it's "life" what happens to it after you are finished and it is left for others.

What is the most difficult part of being an independent artist?

Living up to you own personal moral guidelines. How you make work, who it's for, where it goes.

All those things that are about being an independent artist that keeps as free as possible the idea of what the essence of their work is, what it stands for and how it is put out there. It is super personalized and self-reflection with a view towards incremental improvement in technique or wild experimentation means you have to be critical of yourself in some ways, it also makes me difficult to live with! 

What challenges do you face today that are different than when you started?

When you are starting you can be free with what you do, experiment, be bold, and adventurous. As you move along the line of life this changes and so the challenge becomes to keep that, to be what you were when you started, to refer to your youth in a way that keeps things saying something, to speak of the past with a gentle understanding and make images that talk to the times we are in.

And why does street art matter more now than ever?

In this day and age when so much communication is via the internet. To make work on the street that people still want to go to see, to be in that space and not cyberspace, for me this is the challenge of painting at this time. Social media is so owned by the larger media field, although it might seem independent I don't think it is so much anymore and so it's censored or it's edited, or even removed, or worse still it is drowning in misinformation.

I've heard it said that "the streets don't lie" of course this in itself is a lie, but there's more truth there than social media. The backdrop to breaking used to be graffiti, now the background to protests is street art and it matters.

For more of Stormie's works, head on to his website, and check out his Instagram.