ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Five Art Books to Start 2021: From Belarusian Dissident Support to Florence Lockdown Photography

publication · 2026-04-27

A roundup of five notable art and culture book releases for early 2021 includes a silent book by Belarusian artist Sasha Zelenkevich to raise funds for arrested students, a photographic volume on Florence's lockdown supporting Careggi Hospital, Lapo Baraldi's timeless black-and-white images of empty Florence, a centennial history of Italian art materials manufacturer FILA, and a study of British cultural revolution from 1956 to 1967. The books are self-published or released by small presses, with proceeds often directed to social causes.

Key facts

  • Sasha Zelenkevich's silent book 'Esercizi di memoria' raises funds for Belarusian students arrested for dissent.
  • The crowdfunding campaign for Zelenkevich's book is run by Marta Ferrara on Produzioni dal Basso.
  • 'Firenze 2020. Il racconto fotografico del lockdown' is curated by FUL Magazine and features 20 photographers.
  • Proceeds from 'Firenze 2020' support Azienda Ospedaliera di Careggi for COVID-19 patients.
  • Lapo Baraldi's 'Firenze com'è' captures Florence in lockdown with medium-format black-and-white film.
  • Baraldi's book includes a text by architect Elena Ronchi, professor at Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici.
  • '1920-2020 Cento anni di FILA' by Valerio Millefoglie and Andrea Antinori celebrates the company's centenary.
  • FILA owns brands Giotto, Tratto, Das, Didò, Pongo, Lyra, Maimeri, Canson, and Arches.
  • Silvia Albertazzi's 'Questo è domani' covers British cultural revolution from 1956 to 1967, including Swinging London.
  • The book references the Suez Crisis and Soviet invasion of Hungary as starting points.

Entities

Artists

  • Sasha Zelenkevich
  • Lapo Baraldi
  • Elena Ronchi
  • Valerio Millefoglie
  • Andrea Antinori
  • Silvia Albertazzi
  • Marta Ferrara

Institutions

  • Produzioni dal Basso
  • FUL Magazine
  • Firenze Urban Lifestyle
  • Azienda Ospedaliera di Careggi
  • Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici
  • Forma Edizioni
  • Corraini Edizioni
  • FILA – Fabbrica Italiana Di Lapis & Affini
  • Giotto
  • Tratto
  • Das
  • Didò
  • Pongo
  • Lyra
  • Maimeri
  • Canson
  • Arches
  • Paginauno – McNelly
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Belarus
  • Italy
  • Florence
  • Firenze
  • Mantova
  • Lissone
  • United Kingdom
  • England
  • London

Sources