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Anteism is a Canadian publisher working with galleries and artists to produce unique art books. Our blog showcases the books we produce and the artist books we love!

The Many Faces of Koyama Press

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I was first introduced to Koyama Press through the comic book Lose #1 by Michael Deforge at the TCAF Festival in (2009? if memory serves...). It stood out from all the other professionally published comics I had seen, and opened up my eyes to a whole new world of indie comics - which I thought I knew . It was the art I loved, put into the format of a comic. Over the years I would find myself picking up art books and comics that drew my attention and noticed that they had been published by, or thanks to, Koyama Press. I felt similarities in Anteism's publishing platform to produce the work of emerging artists . After talking to many people who had worked with Annie Koyama and reading the thank-you's from the artists in the books I realized the work she was producing was much more than the sum of its parts. 

Lose #1 by Michael Deforge

Lose #1 by Michael Deforge

Skip ahead a few years. Out of frustration for lack of venues to show art/books and simultaneously layed off of work and evicted from my home/studio, I decided to make the leap and follow through with an idea that I had for well over a decade. An idea introduced to me by a good friend Luke Ramsey who had submitted his zine to a mobile book library all those years ago.

It just so happened that I had six months of Employment Insurance and the good fortune of making an arrangement with a friend to donate a cube van. Over the course of this time the OuterSpace Mobile Gallery took shape, all the while ideas for shows and publications took form. 

One idea that felt important was to provide a venue (gallery format) to publishers. To exhibit a publishers books all together as a whole and to allow the viewers to experience the timeline and vision of a publishers endeavours. It allows the viewer to get an aesthetic understanding of the publishers tastes and would help to showcase links to artists often working in loose collectives. From zines to coffee table books, comics to photography this could be a focused art book fair, one publisher at a time.

It seemed fitting to send the initial exhibition invitation to Annie Koyama. It has been a great pleasure to put this show together, to witness the amazing work she has produced over the years for a new generation of emerging artists. As the rain and wind pummels Victoria I look forward to rolling open the truck door and sharing this work with the people out braving the elements over this weekend. 

The Many Faces of Koyama @ OuterSpace Gallery- September 2013

The Many Faces of Koyama @ OuterSpace Gallery- September 2013

Black is Beautiful - 231 Markers by Allister Lee

Allister Lee illustrating his massive collection of black markers.

Allister Lee illustrating his massive collection of black markers.

Allister Lee is a commercial designer and artist who specializes in the creation of graphic collateral for premier apparel brands and retail operations. 

His exhaustive series Black Is Beautiful is a visual database of black markers that he has acquired over the past decade. Featuring clean photography and simple descriptive text, the database will is updated with 9 new MARKERS each week. At the time of writing there are a total 231 markers shown in the collection.

We are excited to be showing a series of Lee's screenprints provided by Koyama Press. View Allister Lee's artwork as well as five other artists and a near complete catalog of Koyama Press' publications at The Many Face of Koyama 

Allister Lee's Black Is Beautiful collection of black markers.

Allister Lee's Black Is Beautiful collection of black markers.

Tin Can Forest - Folklore from the Dark Forest

Tin Can Forest - Art Print

Tin Can Forest - Art Print

Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek are Canadian artists based in Toronto, Ontario, who work collaboratively under the name Tin Can Forest. Together they produce art, film and books. They find inspiration in the the forests of Canada and Slavic art and folklore.

At present, Tin Can Forest  can be found on a forested mountaintop on Salt Spring Island BC, carefully dodging the bears and cougars as they find inspiration amongst the giant cedars.

OuterSpace will be exhibiting some beautiful prints and books by Tin Can Forest during "The Many Faces of Koyama" exhibition.

In the mean time read the Tin Can Forest Cinematic Comic Cabbage in a Nutshell online.

 

Tin Can Forests book Baba Yaga and The Wolf

Tin Can Forests book Baba Yaga and The Wolf

The Many Face of Koyama Press

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OuterSpace Gallery is pleased to host "The Many Faces of Koyama Press" the first in an ongoing series of publisher spotlight exhibitions at Outerspace Gallery. We wish to provide arts publishers a platform to show their various publications side by side, to truly allow the viewer an understanding of the publishers vision. 

We will be exhibiting the near complete catalog of publications produced by the crucial Canadian comics and art publisher Koyama Press. 

We will also be exhibiting the artwork of six artists who have been published by Koyama Press - Patrick Kyle, Jesse Jacobs, Luke Ramsey, Tin Can Forest, Alex Schubert and Allister Lee .

This exhibition is for everyone who enjoys art, comics/graphic novels and books in general. 

The exhibition will take place during Culture Days at Centennial Square in Victoria, BC.
September 27th-29th, 2013

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