Les Cerises: New Artist Book for Children by Berti and Sarra

The Italian publishing house Les Cerises has released 'Laracamallo', the fifth volume in its series of wordless, limited-edition artist books for children. Created by visual artists Simone Berti (Adria, 1966) and Alessandro Sarra (Rome, 1966), the book blends figuration and abstraction to tell the story of a deer and a hen overcoming differences to demonstrate that love knows no barriers. Each volume in the series is produced in 300 to 500 copies but priced comparably to mass-market books to ensure accessibility. The project, led by Cecilia Canziani alongside a board including Angelika Burtscher, Agnese Canziani, and Daniele Lupo, aims to introduce contemporary art to children through image-only books that require no mediation. Previous titles include works by Maria Morganti, Antonio Rovaldi, Chiara Camoni, and Emanuele Oliveri. Berti and Sarra, who have previously collaborated on joint works, merged their distinct styles—Berti's exploration of precariousness through stark figures against white backgrounds, and Sarra's veiled, diaphanous paintings—to create a book literally made 'with four hands'. The choice of artists reflects the publisher's interest in the interaction between abstraction and figuration, and in showcasing diverse media from sculpture to photography to performance.