I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Friday February 27th — —

The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Friday February 27th — —

“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Friday February 27th — —

Strange Plants II

Last year we were very impressed by the beautiful debut publication of independent publishing house Zioxla named ‘Strange Plants‘, which will have a just as impressive follow up at the beginning of next month. The new book features the work of 30 artists, 5 more then than the first edition, and explores what these artists think about plants and how they portray them in their work. The very talented editor of the book, Zio Baritaux, brought together a new selection of artists, including names like Allison Schulnik, Misha Hollenbach, Francesca DiMattio, Zin Taylor, Katarina Janeckova, Stills & Strokes and Ren Hang. Schulnik, for example, used her own garden as a character in one of her short films; Stills & Strokes projected colors and geometric shapes onto the leaves of plants in botanical gardens; and DiMattio filled the sculptures in her exhibition with dramatic and unruly flowers. Each artist’s work is accompanied by an insightful article or interview that delves deeper into the relationships between plants and people, resulting in another inspirational book.

Twelve tattoo artists also contributed new work. But instead of the colorful and surreal flash that appeared in the first book, the flash in the ‘Stick & Poke’ is monochrome and based on a cactus theme. Daniel Albrigo, Tamara Santibañez, David Schiesser, Sarah Carter, Mina Aoki, Uptown Danny, Wink Evans, Slowerblack, Shen Schubert, Spider Sinclair, Jessica Swaffer and  Rose Whittaker all contributed gritty and fantastical designs, ranging from a woman in the form of a saguaro cactus to a cactus with metal spikes as its spines.

The aim of Strange Plants II is to continue the compelling conversations about how we perceive and interpret both the bizarre and beautiful sides of art and nature. Since the release of the first book, a community of like-minded, inquisitive and creative people has grown up around these conversations, and I hope this community will expand with the publication of this book.

Zioxla is an independent publishing house founded by Zio Baritaux, a creative professional who lives and works between Los Angeles and Barcelona. Zio was the managing editor of Shepard Fairey and Roger Gastman’s Swindle magazine, and has since written and/or edited more than a dozen books on art and culture. HarperCollins published ‘The History of American Graffiti,’ a 400-page textbook she edited, and she contributed to Art in the Streets, Jeffrey Deitch’s graffiti and street art exhibition at MOCA, and the accompanying book. She has also curated art exhibitions in both Los Angeles and Miami and has worked with select brands, developing editorial and marketing materials and managing art-related events and sponsorships. In her free time, she freelances for magazines such as Desillusion, Bullett and the always inspirational Sang Bleu.

Like the first book, Strange Plants II was designed by the inspirational Folch Studio from Barcelona. The book is 148 pages in length, and comes with eight adhesives so that readers can select their three favorite images and create their own unique covers.

The book is available for pre-order here, it will begin to ship on March 9.