A Closer Look at "SUPER PLAYER 2" ("超级玩家2") by Designer Books
Beijing, China-based publishing house "DESIGNERBOOKS" has released the second issue of their "Super Player" tome, with "SUPER PLAYER 2" ("超级玩家2") featuring the toy-art of a variety of artists (internationally), including folks familiar to this blog: Oasim Karmieh (Romania), CuriousBoy (China), Charles Rodriquez (Venezuela), twelveDot (Korea), Javier Jimenez (Spain), Josh Mayhem (USA) and MORE!
Featured in this blogpost today are a number of page-flip videos and snaps to share!
A search on the publisher's web-portal at www.designerbooks.com.cn yielded no listing, so you might want to check on with your fav retailer(s) for availability and pricing otherwise. One of the only clear(er) listing I have found online is on item.jd.com - priced at ￥218.00 per issue, along with a handful of handy images and info:
Author: DESIGNERBOOKS
Published: December 2017
Language: English
I S B N: 9789887770602
Book Price: 380 RMB / this
Book specifications: hardcover 1/16 open 376 pages 1.2 KG
SUPER PLAYER 2: "After appeared on the market,“SUPER PLAYER 1” won consistent high praise from enthusiasts for design, toy artists and toy collectors all over the world. In light of vast public readers’ warm response, DESIGNERBOOKS Company has already launched “SUPER PLAYER 2” to meet their requirement. The book collects dozens of designer’s good works from different countries presents how they make use of different materials, modeling and color to express their own enjoyment and affection to toys, and which provide you with much creative inspiration and visual enjoyment. In nutshell, you shall have good harvest about creation and have wider horizon."
As frustrating as it is to track down this copy online, perhaps you'd do better by looking under the "Industrial Design Books" category (in stores?) - which reminded me of the days when I hoarded 'Taschen' published interior design books (ie: Less words/text and more photographs instead :p). And as well you can still purchase the 1st issue of "Super Player" here online.
BACK TO "SUPER PLAYER 2":
Interestingly, the selected artists/designers featured are predominently "independent" producers of their own work - be it twelveDot's "APO Frogs" gracing the book cover jacket, to customed pieces by Josh Mayhem - all of whom ar sin severely limited production runs to one-offs. No "toy brand" names here (ie: Kidrobot or Unbox Industries, or retailer-produced pieces from Munky King Toys, ToyQube etc) - of course legalities and royalties perhaps a factor, IMHO.
I wonder who is curating this book, and what he/her focus and reasons behind their choices had been. This is an aspect of the "toy culture" that has come to the fore in recent years, gaining popularity beyond their production runs.
Will we see practitioners from Thailand or Indonesia being featured next? Even works from closer to home, like the resin works of Daniel Yu be represented soon?
