Our Thursday series features must-read books from each branch of the art bookshop NADiff. This week's pick is NEW PORTRAITS, a collection of works by artist Richard Prince. It's introduced by the flagship store, NADiff Apartments in Ebisu, Tokyo (1-18-4 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 1st floor, NADiff A/P/A/R/T).

■ NEW PORTRAITS by Richard Prince

Born in 1949, Richard Prince is an artist who, since the mid-1970s, has been using a technique known as appropriation, in which he uses (appropriates, steals) existing images from mass media, advertisements, and the works of other artists, and incorporates them into his own work. Works that actively incorporate consumable images that become symbols of the times often raise questions about copyright, portrait rights, social ethics, and morality. It's a well-known strategy, one that anticipates audience criticism and backlash, making it a familiar habitual offender in the contemporary art world. The work included in this book, "New Portraits," is Prince's latest series, which appropriates photos posted by members of the public on the social media platform Instagram. Prince commented on these photos from Instagram users' accounts, then turned the captured images into canvases for the "New Portraits" series. Set against the backdrop of a contemporary world in which the development of social media has blurred the line between public and private, and the internet has made the privacy of complete strangers accessible through an overwhelming amount of information, this work raises questions about who owns the images and information shared online, as well as what guarantees the originality of artwork.

1,000 copies of this book were produced by BLUM&POE, an international gallery showcasing contemporary art, with 250 of those copies being sold in Japan for a limited time. The book was designed by edition.nord, led by graphic designer Shin Akiyama, and attempts have been made to reproduce the original work as closely as possible in print, while the innovative and beautiful binding also makes it an appealing book.

In addition, an event exhibition "Book and Buku are Similar: Shin, Buku and edition.nord - A Few Months to Think About Design and Art" is currently being held at NADiff Apartment, showcasing the unique activities of Shin Akiyama of edition.nord, who designed this book, that go beyond design work.

【Book Information】
"NEW PORTRAITS"
Author: Richard Prince
Publisher: Blum & Poe
Size: 330 x 266 mm
Price: 20,000 yen