For One Talented Photobook Maker, a No-Strings-Attached $10,000
As independent as independent can be, the Anamorphosis Prize wants to unleash self-publishing creativity
Self-publishing is a hell of a lot of work. But rewarding.
Almost every photographer I have spoken to has said making their book took longer than they had ever reckoned for. A book demands months, years of effort, not inconsiderable expense and no-nonsense graft. Many of us might assume making a book is a linear process. Making a book is probably like making pictures, right? Nope. A book is just lots of pictures, bound together in the final stage, right? Uh-uh. Book require super-nerdy knowledge of papers, inks and material properties, quick and witty design and, of course, the cutest of editing. It’s a complex format.
There’s no harder task for a photographer, I believe, than making a book. Traditional publishers compartmentalize the tasks of production — copy-editing, printing, binding and a whole less else besides— among teams of people. A self-published book, on the other hand, comes about through the sheer audacity of an individual or a ragtag group of folks taking on every step of the (usually) daunting production process. Anyone who self-publishes deserves extra credit for figuring out hows, whats and wheres of publishing.
Fortunately, a new award is on the scene to recognize the effort, the design solutions and — most importantly — the creativity of those who go solo and put out photography books. The Anamorphosis Prize, in its inaugural year, will give $10,000 to the best self-pubbed photobook from the past year.
“I’ve a lot of respect for people who self publish because it is a lot of work,” says Anouk Kruithof, juror and co-founder of the Anamorphosis Prize. “You almost become similar to a small publishing house. It is so much work, getting distribution and finding coverage.”
Despite the burden of work, the number of self-published photo books has grown rapidly in the past decade. And continues still. The Anamorphosis Prize celebrates this creative verve and aims to catalyze independent spirits.
“The Anamorphosis Prize was founded to encourage and inspire artists to create new vistas and redefine boundaries,” says juror and co-founder John Phelan. “Our emphasis on the self-published photobook lies in its ability to express the artist’s vision in its purest form. Undistilled. Potent. Pure.”
What makes the big-money prize more remarkable is that the money comes with no strings attached. Complete freedom ensures the best artistic expression.
“Some book awards already have built in limitations. The printer, the publisher, the money [are pre-arranged]. It’s a done deal,” says Kruithof. “For a prize that is meant to stimulate artists’ practice, then it is good to have no strings attached.”
In many ways, the Anamorphosis Prize it rewriting the manual of how photography competitions are run. There is no entry fee. If you can pay the postage to send your book then you’re a candidate for the $10K.
The Anamorphosis Prize also bucks the current trend that makes puts the photographer on the hook for all or part of production costs.
“Photographers will give huge amounts of money to publishing houses but I think that is really wrong. I am against young artists having to pay for exposure,” says Kruithof.
The judging process is as transparent as possible too.
“Awards don’t share about how juries select,” reflects Kruithof. “I really want to emphasize that I think we should share everything!”
Since the May 1st soft launch of the prize, entries have been shared on the Anamorphosis Instagram and Facebook accounts. There’s no need or benefit to withholding the titles and details of entrants. To the contrary, it’s to everyone’s benefit to see the wide range of self-pub creativity.
“We want to engage the curiosity of not only artists but critics and collectors as we go along,” says Kruithof.
Alongside Phelan and Kruifhof, to make up the three-person jury, is independent curator and critic Charlotte Cotton. None of the jurors are affiliated to any institution. One collector, one artist, one curator/critic. The balance feels right.
The selection process is blind. No biographical info is asked of the entrants.
“There could be someone who is 92-years-old who is sending in a book but we’d never know because we don’t ask these questions. We don’t ask anything about the authors,” says Kruithof. “It’s all about the books.”
Phelan, Kruithof and Cotton have committed to three years (’15/’16/’17) of the prize. Then they’ll assess how the experiment has gone.
The idea for the prize grew when Phelan contacted Kruithof out of the blue via Facebook. He’d bought several of her books and asked if they could be signed. Kruithof employed reasonable caution, but soon realized she and Phelan had much in common.
“Maybe it was the way his language was phrased?” Kruithof reflects. “I was interested. We became friends after exchanging emails and books and talking a lot on the phone. Talking about all things; not only photography and books.”
Phelan had only recently started collecting photobooks, but he had the bug.
“In the realm of books, the photobook holds the unique position as not only the most accurate representation of its source media, but also as an art form in itself. It is this dualistic nature that most holds my fascination.”
Phelan and Kruithof rallied around the potential of a prize that could itself release the creative possibilities of artists the world over. It’s a vehicle for discovery and wonder.
“The idea was to celebrate the format, to find people to have a discussion and to get a better idea of what self-published books are out there.” says Kruithof. “Lots of photo books may never be found — small editions or book made and distributed only in China for example — so by setting up an international call we’ll hopefully get submissions from everywhere.
The jurors say they do not know what to expect with regards to design elements, only that they expect to be surprised.
“I hope to be flabbergasted!” says Kruithof. “I hope that within the self-publishing freedom there might be possibilities of making something I’ve never even thought of.”
The Anamorphosis Prize values design processes that make the leap, in production, from a mere collected stack of images to an autonomous and legible thing.
“It’s important that bookmakers really think about the content and that that gets transformed into an object,” says Kruithof.
Furthermore, there’s a mood, and a revelation of sorts, that a successful book provides. A photobook “must fulfill the three Es: Educate, Elucidate and Excite,” says Phelan.
In November, the shortlist of 20 was announced. The Anamorphosis Prize has partnered with institutions to ensure that every entry will be enjoyed by the public in perpetuity. All entries will be donated to Franklin Furnace, a NYC arts organization that preserves avant grade artworks, books and ephemera. The 20 shortlisted books will be accessed into the Museum of Modern Art library.
These are exciting times.
The degree to which Phelan, Kruithof and Cotton have relinquished control is admirable. It left me wondering though. With no strings attached, what’s to stop an artist just walking away with the money, spending it on a jet-ski, on a mountain of candy, or on something else so frivolous? I posed the question to Kruithof.
“The winner, whoever they will be, is a serious artist,” she fired back. “He or she will use the money to develop further new projects. You can trust on that. I have no worries.”
The Anamorphosis Prize winner will be announced on January 1st, 2016. View the 20 shortlisted finalists. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo.
