Clients and critics describe Pixie Bks as 'intelligent', 'unconventional' and 'original'. Those are the boring descriptions. The one we cherish most: 'But where is the book?'
Priya Pereira (Pixie) first began making books in 1993 along with her husband Tony, under the imprint Pixie Bks. Not knowing why she made them or what they were called, or who the audience and buyer were. It just seemed right then. And fortunately seems right even now. It is only in 1999, during a visit to the US that they discovered a term for what they did - Artists' Books. Today Priya is featured as India’s first contemporary Book Artist dedicated to Artists’ Books. And their work can be found in Museums, Libraries and University collections around the world.
Tony, an internationally awarded copywriter who preferred to stay behind the scenes while working in Advertising, is now actively involved with Pixie Bks. Like cheese and cheese, they both complement one another.
In July 2020, Priya Pereira was selected along with ten other artists, collectors, curators, academics, writers and librarians from all over the world to be a part of the International Council of the Center for Book Arts, New York.
Pixie Bks is in more than 80 Artists’ Book Collections in Eleven countries.
What are Artists' Books
“Artists' books are ‘books or book-like objects’ over the final appearance of which an artist has had a high degree of control; where the book is intended as a work of art in itself.” Stephen Bury
Pixie Bks in Artists' Books Collections
United States of America
University of Arizona, AZ
Baylor University, TX
Bowdoin College, ME
Brooklyn Museum, NY
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
UCLA
The Clark Art Institute, MA
Cleveland Institute of Art, OH
Colby College, ME
Colorado College, CO
University of Colorado, Boulder
Columbia University, NY
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
Cornell University, NY
Dartmouth College, NH
University of Dayton, OH
DePaul University, IL
Duke University, NC
Emory University, GA
Furman University, SC
Georgetown University, DC
George Washington University, DC
Harvard University, MA
University of Iowa, IA
Letterform Archive, CA
MICA, MD
Messiah University, PA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
University of Miami, FL
University of Michigan, MI
Museum of Modern Art, NY
National Museum of Women in the Arts, DC
Newberry Library, Chicago, IL
New York Public Library
Ohio University, OH
Peabody Essex Museum, MA
University of Pennsylvania, PA
University of Pittsburgh, PA
Princeton University, NJ
Queens College, NY
Rhode Island School of Design, RI
Dr Robert Ruben M.D., NY~Private Collector, Grolier Club Member
Savannah College of Art and Design, GA
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Smith College, MA
Stephen Bury, NY~Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian of the Frick Art Reference Library
Steven Clay, NY~Owner and Director of Granary Books
Tufts University, MA
College of William & Mary, VA
Yale University, CT
United Kingdom
Bath Spa University, Bath
The British Library, London
Cambridge University, Trinity College, Cambridgeshire
Chelsea College of Art, London
Coventry University, Coventry
University of Dundee, Scotland
University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Julian Rota, London~MD Bertram Rota Ltd. Booksellers
Leeds University, West Yorkshire
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
University of Oxford, Oxfordshire
University of Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Tate Gallery, London
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton
France
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Bibliothèque Romain Gary, Nice
Marie-Laure Bernadac, Paris~Former Chief Curator for Contemporary Art at the Musee du Louvre
National Library of France, Paris
Germany
Bayerische StaatsBibliothek, Bavarian State Library, Munich
Luxembourg
Bibliothèque nationale Luxembourg
Austria
MAK Museum Vienna
Switzerland
Jan Michalski Foundation for writing and literature
Canada
University of Alberta
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Alberta
Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto
York University, Toronto
Finland
Rikhardinkatu Library
Qatar
Virginia Commonwealth University
Australia
State Library of Queensland
India
Elsie Nanji, Mumbai~Designer for Advertising, Graphics, Environmental Branding, Interiors
Mira Nair, NY~Film Maker
Prahlad Kakkar, Mumbai~Founder & Director of Genesis Film Production Pvt. Ltd.
Rajashree~Naturalist & Kiran Khalap, Mumbai~MD & Founder of chlorophyll (end to end Brand Consultancy)
Sooni Taraporevala, Mumbai~Film Maker, Photographer, Writer
Selected Awards
Cannes Silver and Bronze Lion – 2016
Spikes Asia 1 Silver & 2 Bronze – 2016
The Charles Wallace India Trust Award - 2012
The One Club - 2 Silver Pencils - 2010
The Charles Wallace India Trust Award - 2004
Memphis, 1993
When it all began.
With gratitude to my uncle the late Lt. Col. R. Subramanian, helicopter pilot of the Indian Army - who named me Pixie.