Felipe Ehrenberg: Manchuria Peripheral Vision

Felipe Ehrenberg is recognized in Mexico as an extraordinary draftsman, but is better known internationally as a mail and media artist and for his performance and installation works. He also has a prestigious reputation as a book artist and has produced several seminal works in this field. This artist's book is extraordinary not only for its contents and its outstanding design--it is perhaps one of the best looking artist's books on our list this season--but also for the way it took shape. "I don't believe in being baroque," the artist wrote to the designer, "but I chose Manchuria because it shares the 'M' with Mexico; you could have green, white and green like a soldier's fatigues... everyone has heard of Manchuria, few know where it is... just like my work." The very title of the book is a faithful reflection of Mexico's situation at the beginning of the new millennium.