News

The pressure on urban space grows by the day. Who writes the rules for a just city? At the launch of Envisioning Spatial Justice we explore how spatial practice can serve as a catalyst for resistance, care, and imagination.

Visual artist and sculptor Hans van Lunteren (1945–2025) passed away on 11 May 2025. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

In 2021, we collaborated with Hans on the publication SJANGHAIPARK, an avant-garde placemaking project, and the Utrecht park was climate-friendly long before this became a matter of public policy.

Hans was a truly inspirational figure who had many great initiatives, such as Toevallig Groen. Zaailingen in de Stad and was involved in numerous projects over the years. He had many stories to tell and will be greatly missed.

On 5 June, the 2025 Prix Bob Calle du livre d'artiste will be awarded to one of the 21 nominated artist books, with 3 additional special prizes. We are excited to share two of these artist books have been published by Jap Sam Books; Open-Ended Visions of Possibilities by artist patricia kaersenhout, and Below the Underground by artist Ansuya Blom. Open-Ended Visions of Possibilities has previously been awarded with Best Dutch Book Designs 2023.

The Atlas of Textscapes offers an overview of text drawings from a forty-year period by Tanja Smit, created directly on magazine articles and newspaper pages. The result is a collection of surprising patterns and a broad investigation into layout, words, language, and content. A critical investigation that is simultaneously an ode to language, slowness and the rapidly disappearing printed matter from our society.

This publication is published parallel and on the occasion of the exhibition herman de vries. 70 years nature as art at Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede (24 Mau - 9 November, 2025)

This upcoming publication will be released on the occasion of the exhibition at Singer Laren. Open from 22 may until 31 August.

Next week, team Jap Sam Books will travel to London to share a selection of our publications at the Tate Modern in the Turbine Hall for the 10th edition of the London art book fair Offprint. You can find Eleonoor, Erik, and Ronja at the Jap Sam Books table from 16 May through 18 May. On Friday from 2PM to 7PM, and on Saturday & Sunday from 10AM to 6PM, free entrance. We are looking forward to meeting everyone! Please come by for a chat, and to see all of the books we are bringing!