“Perhaps ‘let’s make a book’ is the visual artist’s equivalent to ‘let’s start a band’, the impulsive feeling when two individuals can imagine working together. However, beginning us easier said than done, as is committing. Tóta and Salka began with pages 1 and 2, naturally.
The two artists have a history of friendship and collaboration, and whilst their preferred imagery and drawing styles are complimentary, they are undoubtedly their own.
‘Print a Book’ is a project about images, but it also speaks to routine and repetition, the laborious task of making 25 books, containing 3 prints, in 30 something days on a small graphic press. The artists stroll down the stairs into a white cube in Ásmundarsalur most days, though the routine may be interrupted by work, volcanic eruptions, bank holidays or procrastination.
It's simple, really, they go to the place, they seek inspiration, they do their work.”
28 original etchings, 14 by each artist, most etching are in black though some are in another colour. Tóta’s fantastical organic shapes are juxtaposed with Salka’s human and animal figures; these natural themes are complimented by the rough-edged, raw design of the book. Joe Keys and Gréta Thorkels have each provided a text (in English) to accompany the etchings.
Soft cover in loose paper cover, 30 x 23 cm, 66 not numbered pages, signed and numbered/20, Reykjavík 2022
