Cities Under Quarantine – The Mailbox Project

In his book Ingres and Other Parables, John Baldessari wrote “it’s difficult to put a painting in the mailbox.” His desire to create hand-held art to be viewed outside gallery walls was integral to his practice with artist’s books.

Since the Coronavirus outbreak escalated into a global pandemic, artists have found deeper meaning in their personal spaces and studios – not just as places of production but as sanctuaries and safe spaces. We see a desire to engage artistically with many of our friends around the world who all now find themselves creating art from home, even with the most limited of materials.

In light of such drastic closure of all art institutions, museums and airports, we have begun to question what our collective spaces can offer us as we stay apart together. What could Dongola, not just as publishers, but as believers in the power of artistic connection encourage through our peers?

This shift to the intimate and personal reminds us now, more than ever, that an artist’s book will always be an essential practice expressive of and responsive to the world around us in extraordinary times.

And so, it is for these reasons that we have decided to reach out to many friends scattered in different cities through handmade, hand-stitched books created and designed in-house by Abed Al Kadiri. The books were made with the highest commitment to aseptic conditions possible and are being mailed to all the artists invited to speculate on our present and shared future through the creation of their own artist’s books.

It is an invitation to join us in thinking along the same lines, through a practice we have dedicated ourselves to for the past few years. We believe in the relevance of the artist’s book today, now more than ever.

A compilation of the completed work will be published as a limited-edition book by Dongola upon the project’s completion and will hopefully be exhibited in the future.

The notebooks were shipped to 59 artists in 22 cities around the world: Youssef Abdelké, Majd Abdel Hamid, Khalid Albaih, Bashar Al Hroub, Lulwah Al Humoud, Abed Al Kadiri, Mohamed Al Shammarey, Mounira Al Solh, Walid Al Wawi, Dia Al-Azzawi, Said Baalbaki, Dalia Baasiri, Nasreddine Bennacer, Khaled Barakeh, Serwan Baran, Dia Batal, Taysir Batniji, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Ali Cherri, Ziad Dalloul, Cristiana de Marchi, Fatima El Hajj, Dina Haddadin, Gilbert Hage, Samia Halabi, Hazem Harb, Mohamed Joha, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Hiba Kalache, Mohammad Kazem, Ammar Khamash, Khaled Khreis, Ghada Khunji, Issam Kourbaj, Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Kevork Mourad, Leila Muraywid, Mahmoud Obaidi, Mohammad Omar Khalil, Sadek Rahim, Nizar Sabour, Faisal Samra, Mona Saudi, Abdulrahim Sharif, Laila Shawa, Tarlan Tabar, Hoda Tawakol, Mary Tuma, Nazar Yahya, Raed Yassin, Fadi Yazigi, Shawki Youssef Camille Zakharia, Hani Zurob.

Vision and Direction – Abed Al Kadiri
Project Manager – Laetitia El Hakim

Artist’s Books Cover and Project Design – Reza Abidini
Publication Design – Lynne Zakhour

Texts – Venetia Porter, Abed Al Kadiri and Dia Al-Azzawi
English Copy Editing – Eugenia Bell
Arabic Copy Editing – Mariam Janjelo

Artist’s Books reproductions – Laetitia El Hakim and Blanche Eid
Making of Photographs – Courtesy of the Artists
Villa Romana Reproductions – Okno Studios
Mathaf Reproductions – Laetitia El Hakim and Ali Al Ansari
Dia al-Azzawi Reproductions – Anthony Dawton

Logistics – Zeina Chamseddine
Publications Specifications:
240 x 300 mm
Magno Volume Matt White 130gr
Sirio Orange 140gr

Silkscreen Cover – SS silkscreens, Beiru
Printing – 53dots, Beirut
Hard Cover binding – Beaino Book Bindery, Beirut
Envelope production – The Print Shop, Beirut

Limited editions of 750