State of the Arts: Fruityspace's Ziuren Book Corner Offers Rare Books and Zines

State of the Arts is our regular arts column whereby we take a look at the newest moves in Beijing's creative scene and highlight art news as well as exhibitions, artists, and openings that you should seek out.

For those who count themselves among Fruityspace’s regulars, the Ziuren book corner may be somewhat familiar. Even if they don’t know it by name, they surely have noticed its goods, tucked in beside the venue’s selection of music records and other related merchandise – a significant collection of self-published fanzines, photo and illustration books, and a curated selection of international publications.

The corner represents a trend that has been growing stronger and bolder in China over the last couple of years. A greater number of dynamic and sometimes self-sustained artists, designers, and illustrators engage – sometimes individually, sometimes collectively – in the creation of a good number of fanzines and publications ranging from doodles to collections of photographs displaying the most eclectic and diverse aesthetic approach. Proof of that can be also seen in bigger fairs such as the ABC (Art Book in China) fair, which serves as a larger showcase for the thriving publishing projects with diverse approaches to the art of creating books – a craft that is not exactly new in China, as shown back at the UCCA's 2015 exhibition The Chinese Photobook.

Talking a bit to Cao Di – the mind behind the corner and the publishing project Ziuren – he mentions that the project is all about “tak[ing] photos and mak[ing] a book,” a venture that also allows him to make a few fanzines about the films he likes. The Ziuren book corner, on the other hand, is the space where he has the opportunity to present both international and local photo, illustration, and drawing books he’s chosen: “One copy for each book, we never restock," he says.

SOTA: Would you like to explain the submission process? What are the criteria you use to select publications?
Cao Di: No submissions. We believe the books should be unique in their own way. It’s hard to describe, it has to have its own attitude. Ziuren is not looking for anything too popular or cliché. The publications need to be different, it doesn’t need to look good (I mean, presentation, or paper quality-wise) or be deep, just unique. [Ziuren] prefer personal takes on things, a very personal point of view.

Price range is important, the selection needs to be less than USD 10, and even though there are exceptions, books that are more down-to-earth are much more appreciated.

When did the project start? Can you tell us a bit about its beginnings?
The project started when I met the owner of Fruityspace, Zhai. He liked the idea of a book corner. The self-publishing project happened when I felt I needed absolute freedom to make my books. That moment I understood I needed to do them myself if I wanted to do whatever I wanted. It’s not profit that I am looking for, nor fame, and that spares me from paying attention to the rules of the business. I just do my books the way I like.

How do you see the indie publishing scene in Beijing?
It makes me feel excited and concerned at the same time. The exciting part it’s that it’s nice to see people making their own zines as they see fit, expressing themselves. As for the concern, I worry that indie publishing, due to greater exposure and popularity, might encounter the limits of official censorship.

What’s there in the corner that you feel particularly excited about?
I feel particularly excited about all the different points of view or ideas that the artists have expressed in their books. How unique certain books are. I really value personal views about the world we live in and the subjects they choose to make a book about.
Being inside the product room of Fruityspace, the corner is open to anyone who wants to take a look and roam inside say when you’re chilling in between or after a performance/screening at the venue.

The contents are not available online, as Cao Di explains that the idea behind the corner is to keep it as old-school as possible, “remembering the days when you went to the bookshop to explore and realized you liked a publication and took it with you as the simple result of digging it, feeling it."

Some book recommendations by Ziuren:

VIGIL by Guy Gormley (2012, published by Guy Robertson & Son Gallery)
A book that registers both text and photographs taken by the artist while taking walks at night after reversing his sleeping patterns for a number of days.

Rock Waves by Sam Falls (2014, Published by Karma)
A book that captures abstract-looking images of rocks washed by high and low tide on an unidentified coastline.

SKY2K by Sandy Kim (2013, Published by Unpiano Books)
Sandy Kim places herself at the center of various public spaces for this photo series, published as a large foldout poster work.

See all of Beijing's current art happenings here.

Photos: Cao Di, Fruityspace, courtesy of the publishers