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Anteism is a Canadian publisher working with galleries and artists to produce unique art books. Our blog showcases the books we produce and the artist books we love!

BOKAY #001 - Ryan Thompson

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What's BOKAY?
Bokay (Bokeh from the Japanese boke ぼけ, “blur”) is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens.

The Bokay PhotoGiving Project aims to focus on photographers and their work while allowing the opportunity to share the artwork with our peers. It’s easy to overlook photography as a fine art. We are inundated with photographic images daily through advertisement and other media. Photos are so common we may overlook and neglect their importance as art. This project strives to showcase photography as a Fine Art and to help give some white space around the work of talented photographers.

How Does The Project Work?

Here’s how the project works:

Anteism scours the earth for impressive and inspirational photography. We highlight the work of one of these photographers. The photographer's artwork is displayed on the Anteism website along with an interview and a limited number of prints for sale. The prints will be limited to an edition of 25. These prints can be purchased for yourself or sent as a BOKAY to anyone. Think of the BOKAY like a traditional Bokay of flowers. It's sent to a loved one, a friend or anyone you would like to thank. We will personalize the certificate and mail the photo BOKAY off to your recipient. The BOKAY contains an 8√ó10 photo print of your chosen photo + an ornate numbered certificate. These certificates state who has sent the print along with a description about the project and edition information. Example of a BOKAY certificate.

BOKAY CERTIFICATE

*Text from certificate. —————————————————— Bokay - PhotoGiving Project

Bokay or Bokeh comes from the Japanese boke ぼけ, “blur”) and is a photographic term referring to the appearance of out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens.

The Bokay PhotoGiving Project aims to focus on photographers and their work, while sharing this artwork with the people important to us. It’s easy to overlook photography as being an art. We are inundated with photographic images daily through advertisement and other media. Photos are so common we may overlook and neglect their importance as art. This project aims to bring focus to photography as a Fine Art and to help give some white space around the work of talented photographers. It is also a dedication to the people of importance in our lives. This Bokay is dedicated to you.

This Bokay has been sent by ___________ on April 1st 2008. This photograph is # 01 in an edition of 25.”

Purchase a BOKAY
Send a Bokay to a friend, loved one or yourself. • View the BOKAY catalog of photographers • View our catalog of available BOKAYS (Prints for sale)


Anteism /  BOKAY Project #001 - Ryan Thompson

"Spread Eagle"- Rats with wings. Shit hawks. Angels.

Spread Eagle is a photo series about the common seagull. A romantic look at the flight of the seagull in between gorging. After reading Richard Bach's best-selling book "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" photographer Ryan Thompson wanted to capture the potential and character of the average seagull. Livingston wrote "For most gulls, it's not flying that matters, but eating." It's this potential of doing great things to accomplish the mundane that Thompson finds most interesting. He believes that Seagulls gained the ability to fly because of their burning desire for food. They may not recognize all they have accomplished because of their never ending hunger.

Spread Eagle #1 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #1 © Ryan Thompson 2009

Info/Purchase "Spread Eagle" Print #1

Spread Eagle #2 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #2 © Ryan Thompson 2009

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Spread Eagle #3 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #3 © Ryan Thompson 2009

Info/Purchase "Spread Eagle" Print #3

Spread Eagle #4 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #4 © Ryan Thompson 2009

Info/Purchase "Spread Eagle" Print #4

Spread Eagle #5 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #5 © Ryan Thompson 2009

Info/Purchase "Spread Eagle" Print #5

Spread Eagle #6 © Ryan Thompson 2009
Spread Eagle #6 © Ryan Thompson 2009

Info/Purchase "Spread Eagle" Print #6