Caution: Monsters Inside Artist's Book by Jamie Capps

“This work explores the connections between past and present, tradition and modernity, and folklore narratives' timeless relevance and evolution. Inspired by stories of the Japanese yōkai, kaiju, and American monster culture, this work responds to how myths and fables reflect the fears of a society at a given time and have been reimagined in a contemporary context.

The book pages are handmade with a blend of bleached abaca and kozo fiber, each sheet stained with black pigment. The book was letterpress printed on a Chandler and Price printing press using photopolymer plates made from scratch negatives of my original drawings and poems. The covers are pigmented abaca accompanied by a slide-on sleeve made from bleached and pigmented flax. The double accordion form allowed the poems to attach behind the pages of the drawings, creating smoke-like glimpses of words that invite the reader to interact with the book further.

To fully understand this work I need to define what yōkai are. Yōkai are described as strange beings, ghostly apparitions, and eerie creatures who cause unfortunate, bizarre, amusing, or supernatural happenings. Such a broad definition allows for yōkai to be good or evil, mischievous or helpful, and helps people explain happenings they can not understand.

All yōkai have a backstory, whether from some folkloric tale, a strange phenomenon or simply an old taiko drum that has become an anthropomorphic terror. In looking to create monsters that people in America would be familiar with, I looked at issues and happenings that plagued or mystify us as a culture. I chose the following issues: anxiety, death, alien sightings, consumerism, and tales of the Bermuda Triangle. These characters are paired with a tanka or short poem which can be read when carefully looking behind the yōkai.” - Jamie Capps

8.5” x 5.5”

*Consignment item. Not eligible for 10% membership discount. All consignment purchases are final and non-refundable once shipped.