“A research project based in Guangzhou, China, 芝麻开门! Abracadabra! seeks in-depth communication and information sharing with active ‘self-organizations’; within a not yet clearly defined stage of liminality, the project captures and presents the phenomenon of “creation” and methods found in these ‘self-organizations’ – the new generation of art practitioners commonly hold a more relaxed attitude of “mutual help” and “collaboration”, though each may have their own distinctive, highly individualized working methods.
(…)
Practice is always ongoing; through continuous self-analysis and self-reflection, practitioners are able to establish innovative forms of output, which expand, in turn, our existing perception of what is art, and how it is produced.”

This is a book, a folder, a door, and a peephole. The object carries different forms of printed matter. Readers can take the folder with them on a visit to the featured ‘self-organizations’ strongholds to collect and build their own memory folders. The object is composed of a left and right sleeve. The left sleeve has a stitched-bound booklet for the textual content presenting the ‘self-organizations’. The right-end sleeve holds 2 large folded posters retelling some of the practices of these organizations. The publication is printed in a 4-color process with an extra silver pass used to add an overprinted textual layer in some areas. Texts are in both Chinese and English.

Abracadabra 芝麻开门！
Publisher: self-published
Editors: Qin Kechun, Zhang Jiwen
Size: 210 × 277 mm (unfolded: 845 × 308 mm)
Page count: 36 + 2 posters
First edition: 500 copies
Production: full color offset + 1, die-cuts