Victor Sira is an American photobook maker from Venezuela
Episode 469: Victor Sira is a new superhero to me. Previously unaware of his work, it has been an absolute revelation to explore his photobook dummy practice while also delving into his publishing label, Bookdummy Press.
I consider Victor a superhero as he quietly whittles away at his practice, making significant strides in the production of photographic artist books. These are dummies or one-off books that he has produced in a meaningful and fulfilling way. Instead of being held back by the burdensome cost of publishing large editions of books, Victor has found a way to get his ideas out in single volumes of books. In this, I believe what is being celebrated is the artist’s creativity and flow of ideas. Instead of being held back by expense, Sira moves his practice forward by concentrating on a single object. This allows him to try more ideas and create more books, which I believe is a net plus and an example for the community of people who see the photobook as a medium, not just a commodity.
Our conversation was broad, and it felt like it could and should have gone on for hours more. I found Victor’s insight incredibly useful, and it was fantastic to discuss photobook timelines with him. He is highly knowledgeable and a veritable treasure for our community. It is well worth picking up his BOOKDUMMIES: An Imaginary Studio, a Non-stop Process 1993–2015 book.
I look forward to our subsequent discussion, and I can easily name Victor as one of the most important people working in the field of photobooks right now.
