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Book review: “Project Zoltar” – foreword by Jake & Dinos Chapman

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Project Zoltar Book

I was excited to receive the press release for the new Project Zoltar book this week and very happy when a copy arrived shortly after. For those of you who don’t know Project Zoltar, they’re marking 10 years of visual culture in this lavish book.

Upon opening the envelope I was greeted with a luxurious silk bound book with a purple cover and gold embossing – lovely to look at and touch. According the release, the book looks to echo the craft and design of ancient religious texts and acts as a 10 year reference manual of this art, fashion and design house.

“Zoltar was born a bastard child of acid house and punk rock. A molotov cocktail of art, film and clothing.
One Part social comment and One part sartorial excellence…..Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Project Zoltar Book

Dan Macmillan and Kieron Livingstone act as a deliberately disruptive entity, Project Zoltar was born as an antidote to the dying art of British eccentricity (!). Fusing both fashion and art, they have infiltrated creative institutions over the last ten years, with on-going and ever-changing showcases of guerrilla artwork.

I remember seeing the Shamanic work for Nike back in 2010 at an exhibition at the Nike 1948 space in Shoreditch and the visuals in this book were a reminder of just how exceptional those pieces are. The characters are huge and the level of detail that went into them still amazes me today.

Project Zoltar Book

The guys have exhibited the work of Marlon Richards, famed photographer Mick Rock and New York surrealist painter Robert Hawkins. The Project Zoltar clothing range, designed by Macmillan and Livingstone, has also been fuelled by collaborations with notable designers Bella Freud and Anita Pallenberg.

This book is a visual delight, one which illustrates just how very leftfield and non-conformist the collective are. As I turned from page to page, it’s a case of being presented with a flurry or arresting visuals, all of which stitch together their rich history.

As you can see from the spreads, it’s definitely worth checking out and I highly recommend picking up a copy if you can.

Here’s to the future, hopefully another 10 years to come!

Pick up your copy from Trolley Books for £69.00.

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