#63: Printed Matter

A world of pure imagination

The Shop: Printed Matter

Chelsea, Manhattan: 231 11th Ave

Way way out on 11th Ave & 26th street is off the beaten path for most New Yorkers (unless you're jogging the High Line every morning), but the trek from 8th avenue over to this hub of artsiness is rewarded with untold treasures. Founded by Sol Lewitt and a bunch of other artist types in the 1970s, Printed Matter has been selling, publishing, and curating artist books for decades. Since 2015, PM has been headquartered in its massive space on 11th ave. Printed Matter is unlike any other store you can visit. There are no "normal" books here-- instead there are zines, books, and other media forms that revel in the obscure, the aesthetic, and the off beat. You might find a zine dedicated to determining the sexuality of Sufjan Stevens. You might find a bound book of lunch menus from V.F.W.’s from the 1970s. You might find volumes of wordless poetry comprised of smudges and dashes on pages. The amount of obscurity here is seemingly infinite! 

The problem of course is that artsy ephemera can be expensive. You may ask yourself, "do I really want to pay $12 for a 10-page zine of photos of street litter?" The answer may be no, but regardless I would come to this shop mentally financially prepared to drop at least $30-$40 bucks and chronologically prepared to spend at least an hour here to get the full experience. The printed matter in this store extends beyond the page-- this place also has fantastic posters, totes, tees, and the like, plus cool art on display. Artsy weirdos, make it over here immediately.

What I got: 

Sick Issue 4

Sick is a magazine from the UK focused on disability & accessibility. It's really dang gorgeous and features original art, poetry and essays. They have a Patreon!

Some Magazine #15: Together

This zine from Germany is actually a class project-- part of the experimental design course at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam. This issue is focused on togetherness and how art and design can unite us.