Lost Paradise

Artist’s book Lost Paradise consists only of images. Artwork signed by Žiga Kariž in collaboration with designer Vasja Cenčič doesn’t’ even have classic book binding. No hardcover, no softcover, no binding in the middle. Instead, it consists only of 130 leaves, wrapped in cellophane. Calling this artwork by the technical term book is therefore seemingly problematic, which is underlined by the response of the Slovenian National and University Library that has designated Lost Paradise as a book at first, but has later changed its decision.1 A similar fate has befallen Ed Ruscha’s first cult book Twentysix Gasoline Stations in 1963. The book was rejected by the American Library of Congress because of its “unorthodox form and supposed lack of information”.2 Lost Paradise is in fact an even more unlikely candidate to achieve book status than Ruscha’s gasoline stations.