Limited edition of fifty copies, signed and numbered by the artist.
Four nested books, all screen printed by hand in color. Housed in a black cloth-covered drop-spine box with tiger illustration screen printed on front and title and author’s name screen printed on spine. Screen printed colophon sheet in envelope attached to inside box lid.
“The set consists of four stories whose physical and narrative structure nest within one another like Russian nesting dolls. The books can be read separately, but when taken together, reveal a legacy of greed and colonialism across generations. Every time a new character’s name is spoken, a new book begins that follows that character’s life story. The first book’s protagonist is a wealthy shut-in who becomes obsessed with an exotic deity; the three enclosed books reveal this retired businessman’s colonialist past and the history of the deity’s native land. With every book, the narrative as a whole moves backwards chronologically in time. The visual style echoes that of 19th-century children’s mass-market hardcover adventure books, whose bright and captivating illustrations belied the troubling imperialist messages conveyed within”–Artist’s statement at the Vamp & Tramp Booksellers’ website, viewed on June 22, 2016.