︎    sustema.press[at]gmail[dot]com       
︎    @sustema.press

faq

︎ WHAT IS SUSTEMA PRESS?

Sustema Press is an independent publishing house founded in Montreal (Canada). By focusing on the dissemination of artists’ books, this project aims to promote the works of emerging artists from different countries and to foster the emergence of a new critical discourse. There is no unambiguous definition of what an artist's book fundamentally is, and this is what makes this field of activity fascinating. Documentary publications, picture books, ephemera, periodicals, books that document an artistic practice, fanzines and graphzines, alternative comics, object books or paperbacks can all be considered as books with an artistic intention. In this respect, artists' books can be considered at the same time as an information support, a plastic object and a media, depending on the project. As a cross-disciplinary field of activity, it is thus open to constant reconfiguration from the voices of the practioner. However, Sustema Press intends to focus on three types of publications: individual artists' publications; curated and collective books on selected themes; sideprojects that aim to explore the materiality of the book object.


︎ WHAT DOES “SUSTEMA” MEAN?

The name of the project is taken from the Greek root of the word system meaning ‘a set of elements standing in interrelations.’ Why use the word system as the name of an art project? Aren't systematic thinking and artistic thinking traditionally opposed? In our current society, systems are both cherished when they work and hated when they don't. A small number of people, on the other hand, build their own systems, even if it means going off the beaten track, building their own networks and being called idealists at first by those around them. We crave to get in contact with those people and to publish them. We believe that by valuing the diversity of points of view and experiences, and therefore of artistic systems, it is possible to create new spaces of freedom, creation and communication—and also that this program is totally realistic. Therefore, the name of the project aims to underline an interest in sensory, experimental, and speculative practices. This name also points to another important aspect: the need and desire for critical thinking, which means the ability to formulate one's own system, rather than falling into relativism, dogmatism, or solipsism.


︎ CAN I BUY YOUR BOOKS?

For the moment, our books are mostly available online. By clicking on the link in the description of the book(s) you would like to purchase, then filling in your personal information in the menu on the right, you can place an order directly from this website. The order will be shipped within one week of purchase, plus the time it takes for delivery by a third party service. Delivery times vary depending on the country to which the order is shipped. As soon as an art work is ordered, we will send you a confirmation of your purchase by email. When the order is shipped, a tracking number will also be sent to you by email. Bookstores and other retailers interested in stocking Sustema Press titles can place an order directly with us by emailing us. A list of our distributors and points of sale will be put online soon on this website.


︎ WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBMIT WORK TO SUSTEMA PRESS?

We do not make calls for applications. However, please feel free to contact us directly by email in order to discuss a project in progress that you would like to see published by Sustema Press. If this is the case, please include all the necessary documentation (images, artistic approach, project description, short presentation on your background, etc.). It is also possible to contact us via Instagram to simply let us discover your work, which could possibly lead to future collaborations.