The collector's edition ‘Het Ramses Shaffy archief’ (The Ramses Shaffy archive) is an 'inverted shoebox', but in the most positive sense! Exclusive archive material from and about Ramses Shaffy has been collected from various sources to bring Ramses to life, 15 years after his death. The book including an USB stick with audio recordings is 100% Ramses: a cacophony of images, music and stories, as chaotic as his life. He had bravado, joie de vivre, was handsome and charismatic, but he was also a freebooter, someone who stood on the fringes of society and knew a lot of tragedy. This publication highlights all sides of Ramses Shaffy, the man who was – and is – loved by the whole of the Netherlands. ‘Het Ramses Shaffy archief’ offers a special look into the world of Ramses Shaffy (1933-2009), Holland's most legendary chansonnier, composer, songwriter and actor, who has left us classics such as 'Sammy', ‘We zullen doorgaan’, ‘Laat me’, ‘Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder’ en ‘Shaffy cantate’. The gold cover and gold on the edges are a reference to the beautiful 'Pastorale'; a song that Ramses sang together with Liesbeth List and in which he represented the sun, dressed in gold. In cooperation with Stichting Ramses Shaffy, Allard Pierson and Ramses' friends and family, we have obtained exclusive access to Ramses Shaffy's archive. Anyone wanting to discover Ramses Shaffy can spend hours browsing through the thousands of images displayed in this collector's edition. Handwritten letters, song lyrics, drawings, record sleeves, his collection, household effects and so on. An example of one of the peculiar discoveries was a large envelope on which was written: ‘Rechthouden volle asbak’ (Keep straight full ashtray). While clearing out his house, the ashtray including its contents was shoved into the envelope and stored in the archive. Measuring 32 x 46 cm x 10 cm, this edition is a real collector's item. A lenticular print on the cover of the luxury box shows both the young Ramses and Ramses in the autumn of his life. Both images are etched in the memory of every Ramses fan. In the specially designed box you will find the book and a USB stick with almost 30 minutes of previously unpublished audio recordings by Ramses. The first 175 copies include the third price Silver Camera winning photo of Ramses, numbered and signed by the photographer William Rutten.

What does it mean to appropriate a work? Where is the boundary between fiction and reality and where do these two overlap? These are the complex questions photographer Sandro Miller wants to investigate with his work. At the same time, his photographs pay tribute to great photographers who inspired him, gave him footing and enabled him to pursue his own creative goals. Irving Penn, Patrick Demarchelier, Bert Stern, Diane Arbus and Gordon Parks have all influenced his view of the world. Sandro Miller does not celebrate the entire oeuvres of these artists, but specific iconic images that have left a lasting impression on him. He decided to recreate these images with the complicity of his great friend, the actor John Malkovich. They engaged in a kind of role-play, but seriously because it also raises fundamental questions about the creative process and the role of appropriation. To stay as close to reality as possible, they stage the images with the same tools that the photographers of the originals had at their disposal. Each picture starts with a meticulously reconstructed setting with similar, identical or sometimes even recreated objects. This is followed by the lengthy make-up process that Malkovich patiently endures to become the original. The shooting takes place in just a few minutes, like a kind of thrust linking them closely. Sandro Miller achieves extremely delicate levels of perception, nuances that are almost imperceptible but still make all the difference. Ultimately, the original and the replica overlap, like two superimposed holograms, doppelgangers staring at each other. 'Malkovich - Then came John' is a special collector's edition because of its content and form. Never before has a screen been integrated into the cover of a book. In addition, the edition is signed by Sandro Miller and John Malkovich and comes with a specially designed steel book stand, a USB stick with four short films and a portrait photograph of Malkovich, taken by Sandro Miller in honour of this project.

Every time photographer Robbert-Jan de Witte passed by Bijlmer Bajes prison his curiosity was aroused. There was a strange contradiction in the iconic building - open and exposed along the train track towards Amsterdam Central Station and at the same time mysteriously closed. Two years ago, in the run-up to the Bijlmer Bajes demolition, he was asked to do a photo series. No photographs had been taken inside the building before because of the privacy of the prisoners and guards. But now that the building was empty, he had the opportunity to immortalise a vanishing piece of heritage. There are no people in the photos, but through the traces prisoners and wardens have left in the building, you feel their presence. The photos give you food for thought about what it was like in Bijlmer Bajes. At the same time, the design of the building and its dilapidated state conceal an enormous beauty. For a while, the building served as a refugee reception centre. The Bijlmer Bajes no longer exists. All that is left are Robbert-Jan’s photos. ‘Bijlmer Bajes R.I.P.' is a documentary photo report of a concept that is etched in the memory not only of all Amsterdammers, but all Dutch people.

Visual artist Pii Daenen has been producing sculptures, installations, videos, photographs, prints, artefacts, multiples, interior and furniture pieces for over 50 years. He draws his inspiration mainly from the basic human needs and technological developments and uses his art to make humorous comments on how we humans deal with this. In 2012, Pii started archiving his work in the FileMaker Pro tool. This has turned his entire oeuvre into a visual encyclopaedia; a work of art in itself. The digital archive will be transferred to the Venlo city archive in 2022. A perfect moment for the creation of a special artist's book. ‘Pii-Files' contains Pii’s complete work archive, supplemented with a visual biography and a large number of his work’s reproductions. This striking and idiosyncratic publication invites us into Pii Daenen’s imaginative world.