On February 16, 2024, Watson Library hosted a special event showcasing books made by Chinese-speaking artists. The event was organized in celebration of the Lunar New Year and in collaboration with Shisi Huang and Jiaoyang Li, owners of Manhattan-based Bungee Space and New Jersey-based bookstore Accent Sisters, respectively. On display were artists’ books, zines, comics, and photobooks that demonstrate the creativity and craftsmanship of young working artists.
The crowd at the Sam iz Dat event at Watson Library. Photo by Ruoyun Chen
Shisi Huang guides the audience through the books on display at Sam iz Dat. Photo by Ruoyun Chen
This event germinated in the fall of 2023 when I attended the inaugural Rehearsal Art Book Fair. Shisi and Jiaoyang created the fair to, in their words, “explore and present the essence of independent art and literary publishing within highly capitalized and/or censored context.” In addition to tables from local artists and vendors, the fair also featured an exhibition entitled Sam iz Dat: (Independent/underground) Publications by Chinese-speaking Creators. This exhibition of artists’ books, imported primarily from mainland China, really caught my eye.
Promotional image for Rehearsal Art Book Fair designed by Sixuan Tong. Photo by author unless otherwise indicated
Sam iz dat is a Russian term that translates to “self-publishing,” and the exhibited books all embody this rebellious DIY ethos. An exemplary publication was Ci Zhi (or Prickly Paper), a magazine run by a collective of artists based in Guangzhou. A homonym in Cantonese for “toilet paper,” every element of Ci Zhi is handmade by the artists, from the woodcut printed illustrations to the paper they are printed on.
Han Lilin. Ci zhi. 5: Jin xue bu zang ([Guangzhou] : [Ci zhi], [2021])
Han Lilin. Ci zhi. 5: Jin xue bu zang ([Guangzhou] : [Ci zhi], [2021])
Another notable book was The Blind Men and the Elephant, by Xiaolonghua, based on an old Buddhist parable about a group of blind men touching a different part of an elephant’s body and arguing over what it must look like. The end pages of the book feature cut-out shapes, inviting the reader to create their own version of the elephant.
Xiaolonghua, Xiao Longhua: The Blind Men and the Elephant ([China]: After Intermission, 2020)
Xiaolonghua, Xiao Longhua: The Blind Men and the Elephant ([China]: After Intermission, 2020)
I wasted no time in purchasing these books for Watson, and as a result, I was able to meet Shisi and Jiaoyang. We tossed around the idea of exhibiting the books in the library’s reading room, and thus the Sam iz Dat exhibition came to Watson Library for a one-night-only event.
The night proved to be a success as artists, publishers, journalists, and book collectors crowded the reading room. A few artists featured in the display spoke to the audience about their work, including Chang Yuchen and Ou Ning, founders of the Bishan Commune in Anhui Province, China.
Featured artist Chang Yuchen introduces her Coral Dictionary, a lexicon of words from an invented language comprised of coral bodies. Photo by Ruoyun Chen
In addition to the books purchased at Rehearsal Art Book Fair, the event also featured books already held in Watson Library’s Special Collections. Attendees were pleasantly surprised and impressed by our collection of books by renowned Chinese artists.
郑国谷, Zheng Guogu: Jumping out of Three Dimensions, Staying Outside Five Elements ([Guangzhou]: Vitamin Creative Space, 2007)
Many expressed interest in returning to the library to register for a card and conduct research. Watson hopes to return the favor to Shisi, Jiaoyang, and the artists featured in Sam iz Dat by providing a platform for their publications to reach a wider audience. Though this night was an invite-only affair, we are planning a public version of the event for this summer.
These works are a testament to the inextinguishable creative spirit of artists who continue to work despite adverse political and economic circumstances, and we are pleased to have their publications.
The team behind the Sam iz Dat event. From left to right: Jiaoyang Li, Suri Shuyu Peng, Jared Ash, Shisi Huang, Raymond Lei, Sixuan Tong. Photo by Nicolas Valle
The Sam iz Dat event was made possible with assistance from Bungee Space employees Suri Shuyu Peng, Keiko Taniguchi, and Sixuan Tong, as well as library technician Nicolas Valle, library associate Marie Cyprien, library intern Hector Chen, and Museum librarian Jared Ash.
