Complementing the two theoretical volumes on Eros and Thanatos, the artist book Argent de Nuage explores a human being’s journey between the entwined poles of desire and death.
Reflecting on the theme of vanitas, the text affirms the urgency of fiction as a moral and imaginative force. Written especially for the book by Gianluigi Ricuperati—a writer, editor, curator, and cultural provocateur known for crossing boundaries between literature, philosophy, and contemporary culture—the narrative unfolds aboard a metaphysical flight across the Mediterranean, suspended between memory, longing, and the fear of death.
Illustrated with nine original photographs by @elisasighicelli@valerie_belin.officiel@jamescasebere@evangeliakranioti@fleury49000@anoushabrar
alongside layout by @johnarmleder
the publication creates a luminous dialogue between text and image.
The photographs evoke an unconscious state of reminiscence, reflecting the colors and light of the Mediterranean. Paired with Ricuperati’s text, they function as mirrors and symbolic indicators through natural elements such as water and air: Kranioti’s initiatory iceberg, Sighicelli’s transparent allegories in glass, Fleury’s esoteric grottos, Belin’s derisive vanitas, Casebere’s evanescent plants, and Abrar’s ghostly airbase. Quotations from The Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier leave an enigmatic trace throughout the text.
The graphic design draws on the Viennese Secession and Ancient Rome, with silvered fields and typographic bands.
Each linen-covered tray case—individually painted by the artist—becomes a unique artwork, animated by iridescent organic flows reminiscent of refracted light in the depths of the ocean.
An edition of 35 copies, numbered and signed by the artists.
#éditionstake5 #johnarmleder #artistsbooks #mediterranean
This is the final week to view James Casebere: The Spatial Unconscious, a major presentation of the artist’s work at the Williamsburg Biannual. There will be a closing party in celebration of the exhibition on Wednesday, January 14, 6-9pm. The artist will be present.
Spanning four decades, and three floors, this exhibition brings together a selection of Casebere’s rarely seen works in various media many of which have not previously been shown in New York. From the mid-1980s to the present, the exhibition includes working Polaroids, waterless lithographs, early black-and-white and recent color photographs, as well as sculpture. Casebere has long been recognized for his innovative approach to photography, merging the sculptural and the architectural with the conceptual. As a central figure of the Pictures Generation, his practice has consistently challenged the boundaries of medium, using photography not as documentation but as the artwork itself to explore how individual and collective realities are constructed.
Casebere’s photographs address issues ranging from the psychological and personal to the social, historical, and political. Working with meticulously built models, he creates images that blur the line between fact and fiction, evoking the tension between permanence and fragility. His process - building, altering and re-imagining architectural forms - foregrounds photography as more than documentation, transforming it into a primary event that interrogates memory, truth, and power while reflecting on the shifting conditions of contemporary life.
Images: Installation view of James Casebere: The Spatial Unconscious, September 25, 2025 – January 17, 2026, WIlliamsburg Biannual. Andy Romer Photography/Williamsburg Biannual
@jamescasebere@jamescasebere #JamesCasebere
Had a couple fabulous drives from Dakar to the south of Senegal over the holidays, one with the amazing host and wonderful artist, Omar Ba, in which we encountered the largest tree that I have ever seen, one of the biggest Baobobs in Senegal. I feel lucky and grateful, to have taken this trip, and to have met so many gracious, creative people. I will share more photos and thoughts in the coming days. #tree of life. #sacred, #omarba #profound
