The Swimmers is a deeply reflective photographic series by Spanish artist Jorge Perez Ortiz, exploring the profound relationship between the human body, water, and the concept of resilience.

The project was born out of a personal tragedy that left Ortiz hospitalized in Colombia with a fractured vertebra, an injury that not only forced him to confront the fragility of the body but also the possibility of never walking again. It was this life-changing moment that catalyzed his exploration of healing, endurance, and the human spirit through the metaphor of water.

Over the course of three years, The Swimmers evolved into a visual meditation on physical recovery, mental strength, and the meditative act of swimming. Ortiz captures swimmers in various states of immersion—suspended in water or moments of reflection on its edge.

His cinematic style, infused with raw intimacy, draws the viewer into a world where the beauty of the human form is juxtaposed with the elemental force of water. Light and body become a choreography of effort and grace, revealing not only physical strength but also the quiet determination that comes with the pursuit of healing.

Ortiz’s photography is characterized by its use of natural light and an almost sculptural attention to the body. Known for his collaborations with high-end fashion brands like Jacquemus, Loewe, and Louis Vuitton, Ortiz’s work is a fusion of fashion, fine art, and personal storytelling.

His training in fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan and the London College of Fashion (UAL) informs his sensitive approach to visual narrative, which has made him one of the most sought-after photographers in the contemporary art and fashion scenes.

Most recently, Ortiz collaborated with Wales Bonner on Midnight Palms, a project that celebrated youth and community in Dakar, Senegal. However, with The Swimmers, Ortiz invites us into a more intimate world—a world where water serves as both a healing force and a symbol of endurance, discipline, and the ongoing process of recovery.

Set to be released in December 2025, The Swimmers will be available as a hardcover edition with 176 pages of stunning imagery. The book is a testament to the artist’s journey of resilience and his ability to translate personal experience into a universal meditation on the human condition.


The Swimmers - Jorge Perez Ortiz . ISBN 978-2-488817-00-4 . Cloth hardcover with tip-on, 22 × 28 cm, 176 pages . Price: 55 € / 50 £ . Release: December 2025


BOOK LAUNCH PARIS : Tuesday Dec. 2nd, from 6 to 9 pm . 20 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris

BOOK LAUNCH BARCELONA : Thursday Dec. 4th, from 6 to 9pm . @trent.es Carrer de Lluìs el Piadòs 5


GoSee : aleppublishing.com

 
02.12.2025 show complete article

Hatje Cantz continues its remarkable series of illustrated children's books - a program that not only conveys knowledge but also gives illustration a powerful stage as an art form. In children’s books, words and images meet in a way that allows science and imagination to unfold together, creating visual narratives that can only emerge when artists are given true creative freedom.

Working closely with authors, illustrators transform abstract ideas into accessible visual stories that spark curiosity and make complex themes intuitive to grasp. Illustration creates atmosphere; it emotionalizes, explains, organizes – and opens spaces that pure text often cannot reach. A beautiful example of this approach is LIFE (As We Know It) / 'Was wir über Leben auf der Erde wissen.'

“In the beginning – though there wasn’t really a beginning, because there wasn’t yet time - the entire universe was contained within a single tiny point …” With poetic language, the book recounts the formation of the universe, from before the Big Bang to the sweeping arc of evolution and into the present day – even daring a glance into an unknown future. Yet it is the illustrations by Cristóbal Schmal that make this vast story truly tangible. His ink-and-watercolor artwork carries a wonderfully organic texture that echoes the themes of creation and transformation. Here, illustration is not an accessory but a conceptual art space, making scientific ideas sensorially accessible while revealing the underlying beauty of life itself.

Ziggy Hanaor, a London-based screenwriter, publisher and children’s book author, shapes the narrative with clarity, sensitivity and poetic restraint.

Cristóbal Schmal, a Chilean illustrator living in Germany, is known for his unmistakable style. His combination of ink and watercolor has captivated international clients including The New York Times, Greenpeace and Lufthansa. What We Know About Life on Earth is his first book – and a striking demonstration of how much narrative potential lies within illustration.

“I am super happy that my first book ‘Life (As We Know It)’ is published. It was an intense but beautiful process. Ziggy gave me complete freedom and I enjoyed every drawing – from the storyboard to the final art, where I experimented with drawing, painting and collage. I hope you like it! … A dizzying ride through 4.6 billion years of life on Earth, this striking book tells the creation story of our planet, as told by science.” - Cristóbal Schmal

 
27.11.2025 show complete article

With Carp City (The City of the Dancing Carp), Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński present a work that goes far beyond classic seek-and-find illustration. The Polish creative duo, internationally celebrated for Maps, brings together their two major passions in this new project: illustration and game development.

Even before publishing their first books, the two were developing video games - a creative energy that now returns in full force in Carp City. Or, as they put it: “The City of the Dancing Carp is not a typical book. It’s a project that combines our two main passions: picture books and games.”

The playful structure is clear and clever: every scene introduces a new encounter, a new puzzle, a new task. Readers follow characters, solve problems and transform the appearance of the city using removable stickers, checklists and items.

The story: a city in turmoil. Carp City is preparing for the great festival of the seven-armed orangutan. Delegations from around the world are arriving to showcase their skills, exchange goods and revive old friendships. The city hums with anticipation, but chaos is spreading. Every corner holds a new adventure - and all the narrative threads converge in the hands of the players.

Carp City consists of three elements that fuse into a single game experience: a large-format illustrated book full of dense, vibrant city scenes, a black-and-white booklet containing all dialogues, hints and text passages, and seven sticker sheets that allow readers to actively reshape the city.

The illustrations are highly detailed, full of humor, small stories and lovingly crafted elements. What the Mizielińskis create here is a blend of picture book, adventure game and metapuzzle – a world that grows while reading and transforms while playing.

As they explain the process themselves: “In The City of the Dancing Carp you can venture into the maze of streets, talk to its citizens, solve puzzles, and uncover mysteries. Here adventures await you at every turn.”

The entire project began with the big map: “Surprisingly, we didn’t start with writing. We began with a rough sketch of a city map... The map was our starting point and inspiration. ... We decided that the entire city would fit on a 5 by 5 grid, totaling 25 spreads and 50 pages. We took a plain A3 sheet of paper and divided it into 25 rectangles. Then we started filling it with important landmarks: a river, city wall, ocean, mountains, university, theater, etc. Each rectangle had to have a point of interest—something that could serve as a good, descriptive feature. This would allow us to direct players, for example, to the southern city gate, city palace, or Sunny Square. The final map isn’t too far off from that first drawing we made before writing a single story.”

The creative duo lives and works in Warsaw, where they run a shared studio developing a diverse portfolio of illustrated books, games and graphic narratives – always driven by their curiosity to make complex worlds both visually and playfully accessible. Since 2008, Daniel has been teaching at the Graphic Faculty of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. oladaniel.com

Carp City (The City of the Dancing Carp)
Aleksandra Miezilińscy
Illustration: Daniel Miezilińscy
240 pages, Moritz Verlag

 
21.11.2025 show complete article