Isolarii, stylized as ISOLARII, is an avant-garde media company founded by Sebastian Clark. Launched in September 2020, the company is known for its political activity and its unique palm-sized book format.[1]
 | |
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Sebastian Clark, India Ennenga |
| Distribution | Worldwide |
| Official website | https://isolarii.com/ |
History
editThe company was launched after the founders' experience working at a smartphone factory in Dongguan, China.[2]
In November 2020, Isolarii published F Letter: New Russian Feminist Poetry, which emerged as a symbol for anti-government protests in Russia.[3]
In 2021, Isolarii released Street Cop, a collaborative work by Robert Coover and Art Spiegelman. The release received acclaim from NPR, and was described by The New York Times as a "palm-sized lark."[4]
In 2022, "The War Diary of Yevgenia Belorusets" marked Isolarii's debut in digital reportage. Co-published with Der Spiegel, it was translated daily into various languages. It was adapted into a podcast episode for This American Life[5] and, on March 3, 2023, was cited by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when announcing changes to Germany's military support for Ukraine. It was later published in print as part of the volume In The Face of War. As an afterword, photographer Nan Goldin officiated a marriage between artists Nikita Kadan and Anti Gonna.[6]
Critical response
editDominick Ammirati wrote in Artforum that “the press has succeeded at imbuing the book form with the psychophysical qualities of a mala, a rosary, kombolói, a smartphone—objects that you pick up and feel almost anxious letting go of.”[1]
Isolarii has been described by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist as an “ingenious book club.”[7]
In 2023, Isolarii faced criticism from former Fox News correspondent Tucker Carlson.[7]
Bibliography
edit- A Book of My Own by Scholastique Mukasonga
- Ever Gaia by James Lovelock and Hans Ulrich Obrist
- In The Face of War: Ukraine 2022 by Yevgenia Belorusets, Nikita Kadan and Lesia Khomenko
- The Archipelago Conversations by Édouard Glissant and Hans Ulrich Obrist
- Modern Animal by Yevgenia Belorusets
- Street Cop by Robert Coover and Art Spiegelman
- Purple Perilla by Can Xue
- F Letter: New Russian Feminist Poetry, ed. Galina Rymbu, Eugene Ostashevsky, and Ainsley Morse
- Salmon: A Red Herring by Cooking Sections
References
edit- ^ a b Ammirati, Domenick. "Domenick Ammirati on Isolarii". www.artforum.com.
- ^ https://magculture.com/blogs/journal/isolarri-5?srsltid=AfmBOorig7TRsCa9nRpuvvsEArsyCQTCc1cqZ9-0kLrm_t2Xlq-rUCtT
- ^ "Russian protest poetry and the rise of Galina Rymbu".
- ^ Park, Ed (October 8, 2021). "How Comics Responded to Our Locked-Down, Anxious Covid Lives". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "The Other Front Lines". This American Life. April 22, 2022.
- ^ "Regierungserklärung von Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz". Die Bundesregierung informiert | Startseite (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ^ a b "Kunstnotizen von Hans Ulrich Obrist – Der geniale Buchclub". Berner Zeitung. 26 November 2020.