«At a bookshop you can see the final product, not the research and experimentation behind it». In conversation with Curator Giulia Brivio
Artphilein Bookshop in Lugano
Located in Paradiso (Switzerland), Artphilein Bookshop specialises in photography books, self-published authors as well as independent publishers. The bookshop opened its doors in 2013 in Lugano and moved to Paradiso in 2022. Nevertheless, its story started many years before. «Artphilein Bookshop and Editions was conceived by Caterina De Pietri, Director of De Pietri – Artphilein Foundation. An institution founded in 2006 as a non-profit foundation for the promotion of contemporary art in all its expressions. Its focus is on photography and philosophy», explains Giulia Brivio, Chief Curator of Artphilein and Book Editor for the publishing house.
«Books in all forms are an area of particular commitment for the Foundation. They include documentation, research, collectible objects and artists’ books. They represent a medium into which we invest great effort and attention. This is the reason behind our decision to open a specialized bookshop, a publishing house, a library and three exhibition spaces», she continues.
Apart from Giulia, the Artphilein team includes Caterina De Pietri, Director and Creator of Artphilein, as well as Giorgia Vanzolini, Media & Marketing Manager and Vittoria Fragapane, designer and curator of the exhibition program. Since 2013 they’ve always been on the move. «We travel around Europe to participate in the Artbook Fairs with our selections of photography books and artists’ books».
Artphilein Bookshop’s independent publishing
Artphilein Bookshop focuses on independent publishing, photography and artists’ books. The process of selection takes place in different settings. During artbook fairs, studio visits with photographers and artists, via submission, and also through online scouting on Instagram. «You can sometimes discover little gems in the vastness of social networks», Giulia comments. «We prefer to select books that aren’t available on Amazon or in mainstream distribution. In this way, we support self-publishing authors and small producers», she specifies.
«Artphilein is not only a bookshop. It is also meant to be a place where you can just leaf through the books, ask for advice, have a coffee and discuss photography books». As Giulia highlights, the Artphilein team is available for consulting to a wide range of customers. These include students, curious visitors, graphic designers, architects as well as collectors. In a keyword, Artphilein is «independent». The De Pietri Artphilein Foundation, in fact, guarantees complete independence to the bookshop and the publishing house. «We don’t stock and offer the selection of made by the distributor. We make our own choices, creating a network with authors and publishers», Giulia underlines. Furthermore, «we try to offer different perspectives on the art publishing world, inviting guests from various backgrounds to present their work here».
Lampoon review: Spazio Artphilein
Inaugurated in 2019, Spazio Artphilein is the new project room that welcomes international guests, artists, publishers, residencies as well as festivals, with a focus on artistic publishings and contemporary photography. «A few years after the opening of Artphilein, we felt the urgency to find a way to unveil the creative process behind the development of an artists’ book», Giulia explains.
As she points out, «at the bookshop you can see the final product, the object book. But, you can’t see the infinite researches, abandoned ideas and experimentations, that lead to that result». At Spazio Artphilein, artists design a display for their publishing projects. In this way, they can express their journey in the realization of their book.
«We had a guest from the United States, Jeff Mermelstein, who transformed Spazio Artphilein into a chaotic New York, with hundreds of posters to represent his approach to street photography and to photography books». Then again «a guest from Italy, Giulia Currà, converted Spazio Artphilein into her studio, covering the walls and the floor with notes, drawings, memories of her travels and encounters. Each artist designs their bookscape and each time they create something unique».
In 2021 Spazio Artphilein became Focus Artphilein, the main exhibition space of the Foundation. Focus turns its gaze to the state of contemporary photography, a place to host both emerging and established artists. Focus is both a physical location and an itinerant one, collaborating and creating connections with other entities in the world of photography.
Swiss perspectives
Considering that Switzerland is a multi-cultural and a multi-language country, Artphilein seized the opportunity to gather different cultures in the same place and merge together their individual richness. «We try to organize talks and presentations with Swiss artists and publishers from all regions. We also have many exchanges with our Italian neighbours. Our luck is being in a strategic position», Giulia explains.
This doesn’t change the challenging panorama for independent bookshops and publishers. «Our challenge is to introduce a broader audience to publishing projects that can be unusual, with multiple narratives, eccentric formats or conceptual books. It is not as easy as proposing a novel or a best-seller. But, our goal is to offer a key to open these books and journey through them».
The Artphilein team’s proactivity is already responding to the current situation with its plans for the future. «We have created a network of artists. Together we are preparing a new collaborative space. An alternative to traditional exhibition venues», she discloses.
Via San Salvatore 2, Paradiso, Switzerland
Artphilein Bookshop is specialized in contemporary artists’ books, photo-books, self-publishing and independent publishers.
artphilein.org – artphilein-bookstore.org
