Independent Publishing House — Palermo
Independent Publishing House — Palermo
20,00 €
Alfredo Ramos Fernández’s Stein und Staub series delves into live’s inherent exposure — made huntingly evident during the Covid–19 pandemic — and the individual and collective performances of control that emerge in response. Building on the photographer’s longstanding inquiry into the mechanisms by which past events reverberate into the present, the series documents how people in his hometown of Havana, Cuba coped with the viral threat, as well as the cracks it made visible in the city’s social and political infrastructure. The photographs capture material traces of how this moment was lived and felt, the fears it activated, capturing an internal state that was collectively, even if differentially, experienced.Moving beyond the archival, the artist’s use of decades–old film inhabited by mold, in a format smaller than 35mm, results in textured images that, in their increasing abstraction, reveal the ever–present filter through which any given moment in time and place is perceived.
1. EDITION 05/2025
Text by Lucia Cash Beare
Book Design by 89books
32 pages
32 × 20 cm
32 black and white photographs
Softcover
Digital print
ISBN 979-12-80423-86-3
Founded by a photographer, 89books emerged from the desire to elevate the book as an artistic medium and to create opportunities for photographers at the beginning of their careers, as well as for those with little or no previous experience in photobook publishing. Book proposals may be submitted at any time, either as a completed dummy or as an invitation to collaborate on the development of a project from a larger body of photographic material. In the latter case, 89books works closely with the artist on image selection, editing, sequencing, and graphic design in order to shape the work into a carefully conceived publication.
Folio is a special series of 89books dedicated to the production of fast-paced publications distinguished by a cohesive design and a standard format (21 × 28 cm). Each edition is housed in a printed envelope, reinforcing the tactile and collectible nature of the object. With Folio, 89books aims to respond to photographers’ desire to produce limited-edition publications quickly, while maintaining a strong commitment to quality and craftsmanship. Folio is continuously open to submissions from artists and photographers with fully developed projects seeking to transform their work into a carefully conceived publication.
The 89Books AIR Program (Artists in Residence) supports professionals working in contemporary art, with a particular focus on photography and bookmaking. During the residency, residents may either refine an existing project with the aim of transforming it into a book, or develop new work in the city of Palermo intended to become part of Quaderno Palermo – a collection of impressions of the city and its inhabitants conceived in dialogue with the 89books team. The residency also seeks to question and expand the very notion of the “book,” exploring new possibilities for how photobooks can be made, structured, viewed, and experienced. Residencies typically last two weeks. Shorter or longer stays may be arranged individually. Selected candidates receive a letter of support to assist with applications for external funding covering travel expenses and per diems.
Quaderno Palermo is a special publication series dedicated to photographers’ interpretations of Palermo, a city endlessly photographed and immortalized in cinema. At once visually captivating and deeply neglected, Palermo offers a rich and layered terrain for artistic exploration. Projects may be developed independently or within the framework of the 89books Artist-in-Residence program. The intended outcome is a publication in the Quaderno Palermo series.
