Kaph Books

Founded in 2016, Kaph is a publishing house based in Beirut, Lebanon, specialized in quality art books—photography, fine arts—on Middle-Eastern artists. It takes its name from the letter Kaph which can be found in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician and Aramaic (it gave birth to the Greek Kappa and to the Latin K). The word Kaph stands for the palm of the hand in modern Arabic and Hebrew. It represents an open hand, a bridge between cultures. Each book is a unique and personal creation testifying to the constructive collaboration between the respective partners—with consistently high technical and design quality.
 
Beirut
www.kaphbooks.com
info@kaphbooks.com
 
56 titles
 
Resurgent Nahda - Arab Exhibitions in 1930s Jerusalem
Resurgent Nahda – Arab Exhibitions in 1930s Jerusalem
2024
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
forthcoming
The cultural and political legacies of the the 1933 and 1934 Arab Exhibitions in Jerusalem.
Fouad Elkoury - Cinema Cairo Palace - A Journey into Egyptian Cinema – 1985-1996
Fouad Elkoury
Cinema Cairo Palace – A Journey into Egyptian Cinema – 1985-1996
2024
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
The images shot on Egyptian film sets by prominent photographer Fouad ElKoury over more than a decade capture the essence of Arab cinema.
Dusk - Anthology – Contemporary Lebanese Women Poets
Dusk – Anthology – Contemporary Lebanese Women Poets
2024
trilingual edition (English / Arabic / French)
A lyrical portrait of Lebanon through the poetry of 60 native women authors.
Mudun - Short stories from the Arab world
Mudun – Short stories from the Arab world
2024
texts in English and Arabic
Published on the occasion of Mudun Short Story Prize, an international competition that pays tribute to cities around the Arab world which was launched by the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah (UAE), Mudun: Stories from Arab Cities brings together the 19 stories—10 in Arabic and nine in English—that were shortlisted for the prize, including the winning submissions.
After Rain - Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024
After Rain – Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024
2024
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
The catalog for 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, under the artistic direction of Ute Meta Bauer, featuring some one hundred artists of different generations: a testament of a unique moment within a changing Saudi Arabian cultural ecosystem.
Abdullah Al Saadi - Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia
Abdullah Al Saadi
Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia
2024
English edition
Accompanying Abdullah Al Saadi's eponymous solo exhibition at the National Pavilion UAE at the 60th International Venice Biennale, this publication invites an immersion into the artist's singularly subjective universe.
Abdullah Al Saadi - Sometimes you have to go a long way to come back a short distance
Abdullah Al Saadi
Sometimes you have to go a long way to come back a short distance
2024
English edition
A comprehensive overview of the Emirati artist's practice, with numerous archive documents.
Myrna Ayad - Alcove - Intimate Essays on Arab Modernist Artists
Myrna Ayad
Alcove – Intimate Essays on Arab Modernist Artists
2024
English edition
Spanning a pivotal time in Arab art, from the 1950s through to the 1980s, this book celebrates the lives, careers, and personas of some of the region's pioneering artists (from Huguette Caland to Hamed Nada and Etel Adnan) and features archival material, images of artworks as well as of the artists themselves.
Charif Majdalani - L\'Art et son Lieu - Essai sur les trente ans de la Galerie Janine Rubeiz
Charif Majdalani
L'Art et son Lieu – Essai sur les trente ans de la Galerie Janine Rubeiz
2024
French edition
The story of the Galerie Janine Rubeiz, a major venue on Beirut's cultural and artistic scene.
In Plain Sight - Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes
In Plain Sight – Scenes from Aridly Abundant Landscapes
2023
English edition
What architectural possibilities can emerge when we reimagine arid landscapes as spaces of abundance? (a collective book conceived as a travelogue that challenges preconceptions around aridity: the official publication of UAE's National Pavilion at Venise Biennale of Architecture).
Monumental Shadows - On museums, memory and the making of history
Monumental Shadows – On museums, memory and the making of history
2023
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
A critical investigation into the material heritage and entangled histories of Western encyclopedic museums.
Future Perfect - Catastrophe and Redemption in the Contemporary
Future Perfect – Catastrophe and Redemption in the Contemporary
2023
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
An artistic and reflexive project around the notion of the "future perfect", the passage of time, individual and collective responsibility in the current cultural and political ecosystem, and future perspectives and goals.
On Foraging - Food knowledge and Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE\'s landscape
On Foraging – Food knowledge and Environmental Imaginaries in the UAE's landscape
2023
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
Transformative solutions for food insecurity in the UAE over the past 50 years.
Bollywood Superstars - A Short Story of Indian Cinema
Bollywood Superstars – A Short Story of Indian Cinema
2022
English edition
An exploration of the history of Indian cinema from its origins in the late 19th century to the present day: Bollywood Superstars presents the artistic and civilizational richness of the Indian subcontinent (beyond the international success of Bollywood), through its long tradition of image making, and the diversity of the Indian film industry, now the largest in the world.
Nayla Romanos Iliya - The Phoenician Alphabet
Nayla Romanos Iliya
The Phoenician Alphabet
2022
English edition
Publication dedicated to Lebanese artist Nayla Romanos Iliya's "Small Characters" sculptures, inspired by and named after each of the 22 letters of the Phoenician Alphabet.
Bollywood Superstars - Histoire d\'un cinéma indien
Bollywood Superstars – Histoire d'un cinéma indien
2022
French edition
An exploration of the history of Indian cinema from its origins in the late 19th century to the present day (also available in English).
Histoires de Papiers
Histoires de Papiers
2022
French edition
"Stories of Paper" traces the history of paper as a thousand-year-old material used from antiquity to the present day, and provides an original perspective on the history of graphic arts.
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim - Between Sunrise and Sunset - Works 1986-2022
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Between Sunrise and Sunset – Works 1986-2022
2022
English edition
Published on the occasion of the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, in 2022, this retrospective monograph is the official catalog of the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates, which has chosen the Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim to represent them.
Beyrouth - Les temps du design
Beyrouth – Les temps du design
2022
French edition
The first retrospective on design in Lebanon, from the 1920s until today, includes works by over 50 designers, uncovering this major design scene in the Middle-East.
Fateh Moudarres - Hiwar - Sense and Intuition
Fateh Moudarres, Adonis
Hiwar – Sense and Intuition
2022
English edition
A conversation between acclaimed Syrian artist Fateh Moudaress (1922-1999) and Arab poet Adonis, finally translated from Arabic to English, with 30 never seen before paintings and drawings by Fateh Moudaress.
Scripts and Calligraphy - A Timeless Journey
Scripts and Calligraphy – A Timeless Journey
2021
English edition
The history of Arabic calligraphy.
Sarah Abu Abdallah - For the First Time in a Long Time
Sarah Abu Abdallah
For the First Time in a Long Time
2020
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
First monograph.
Chaouki Choukini - Corpus
Chaouki Choukini
Corpus
2019
bilingual edition (English / French)
First major retrospective monograph dedicated to the Franco-Lebanese sculptor.
Laure Ghorayeb -
Laure Ghorayeb
2019
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
This publication looks back on Laure Ghorayeb's transition from writer to painter.
Rendezvous in Paris - Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900-1939)
Rendezvous in Paris – Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900-1939)
2019
English edition
Rendez-vous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900-1939) is a collaborative publication between Kaph Books, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Centre Pompidou, which serves to discover the Paris of the “Roaring Twenties”—a Bohemian hub for artists from across Europe. This group of artists came together at a moment of extraordinary creativity to produce some of the most innovative art of the 20th century.
Rendez-vous à Paris - Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Cie (1900-1939)
Rendez-vous à Paris – Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Cie (1900-1939)
2019
French edition
Rendez-vous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900-1939) is a collaborative publication between Kaph Books, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Centre Pompidou, which serves to discover the Paris of the “Roaring Twenties”—a Bohemian hub for artists from across Europe. This group of artists came together at a moment of extraordinary creativity to produce some of the most innovative art of the 20th century.
Ouvrir l\'album du monde - Photographies 1842-1896
Ouvrir l'album du monde – Photographies 1842-1896
2019
French edition
The development of photography in its first years of existence: an history of the dissemination of photography as a form of documentation and an instrument of discovering and understanding the world and its people, through a wide selection of historic images taken in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, between 1842 and 1896.
An Early Album of the World - Photographs 1842-1896
An Early Album of the World – Photographs 1842-1896
2019
English edition
The development of photography in its first years of existence: an history of the dissemination of photography as a form of documentation and an instrument of discovering and understanding the world and its people, through a wide selection of historic images taken in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, between 1842 and 1896.
Rayyane Tabet - Fragments
Rayyane Tabet
Fragments
2019
trilingual edition (English / Arabic / French)
The book “Fragments”, designed by Lebanese artist Rayyane Tabet as an installation, coupled with a performance, is inspired by a family legend about Tabet's great-grand-father. The book accompanies an exhibition at the Kunstverein in Hamburg.
Roads of Arabia - Archaeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia
Roads of Arabia – Archaeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia
2019
English edition
A panorama of the different cultures that have succeeded each other on the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from prehistory to the edge of the modern world.
Routes d\'Arabie - Trésors archéologiques de l\'Arabie Saoudite
Routes d'Arabie – Trésors archéologiques de l'Arabie Saoudite
2019
French edition
A panorama of the different cultures that have succeeded each other on the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from prehistory to the edge of the modern world.
Ayla Hibri - A Palm Tree Bows To The Moon
Ayla Hibri
A Palm Tree Bows To The Moon
2018
English edition
60 black and white photos taken in Lebanon, accompanied by poems by the artist.
On Photography in Lebanon - Stories and Essays
On Photography in Lebanon – Stories and Essays
2018
English edition
Forty contributors share their perspectives on photography in Lebanon, evoking its equally numerous forms of existence. Examining techniques, practices, uses, objects, images, histories, and artistic approaches, this publication presents 380 photographs produced between the end of the 19th century and the present day.
Seta Manoukian - Painting in Levitation
Seta Manoukian
Painting in Levitation
2018
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
This publication looks back at Manoukian's pictorial work, focusing on the 70s and 80s periods of her practice. It includes an essay by Gregory Buchakjian, a chronology by Aline Manoukian, and an interview with the artist by Kristine Khouri.
Sur la photographie au Liban - Récits et essais
Sur la photographie au Liban – Récits et essais
2018
French edition
Forty contributors share their perspectives on photography in Lebanon, evoking its equally numerous forms of existence. Examining techniques, practices, uses, objects, images, histories, and artistic approaches, this publication presents 380 photographs produced between the end of the 19th century and the present day.
Gregory Buchakjian - Abandoned Dwellings - A History of Beirut
Gregory Buchakjian
Abandoned Dwellings – A History of Beirut
2018
English edition
In a rapidly changing Beirut, neglected dwellings are condemned to disappear as a result of land speculation. This multi-layered transdisciplinary project aims at examining the transformations that these obsolete architectures undergo. The study, carried on site, based on archives, testimonies and oral history, also proposes new artistic perspectives towards the city.
Rifat Chadirji - Building Index
Rifat Chadirji
Building Index
2018
English edition
A comprehensive publication of Rifat Chadirji's photographic folio, which records and analyses the development of his architectural practice in Baghdad, from 1952 until the early 1980s. It provides a unique insight into a collection of photographic sheets that reflect how an architect documented his own work, and coded, organized and referenced his projects using photography.
Gregory Buchakjian - Habitats abandonnés - Une histoire de Beyrouth
Gregory Buchakjian
Habitats abandonnés – Une histoire de Beyrouth
2018
French edition
In a rapidly changing Beirut, neglected dwellings are condemned to disappear as a result of land speculation. This multi-layered transdisciplinary project aims at examining the transformations that these obsolete architectures undergo. The study, carried on site, based on archives, testimonies and oral history, also proposes new artistic perspectives towards the city.
Nadim Asfar - Habiter le jour
Nadim Asfar
Habiter le jour
2018
bilingual edition (English / French)
This publication gathers a series of photographs made during the artist's formative years. Between 2004 and 2008, Nadim Asfar photographed anonymous passersby from the balcony of his studio in Beirut. As faceless figures cast shadows under the hard city light, heading in undisclosed directions, their narratives are only announced, never told.
Lamia Joreige - Works - 1994-2017
Lamia Joreige
Works – 1994-2017
2018
English edition
The first monograph of the artist, looking back at 20 years of artistic practice through her variable projects: paintings and drawings, installations, films and videos. The publication gathers texts by Patricia Falguières, Rabih Mroué, and Ghassan Salhab, as well as interviews with Lamia Joreige by Etel Adnan, Kader Attia, Lav Diaz, and Charbel Habre.
Rayyane Tabet - Fragments / Bruchstücke
Rayyane Tabet
Fragments / Bruchstücke
2018
bilingual edition (English / German)
The book “Fragments”, designed by Lebanese artist Rayyane Tabet as an installation, coupled with a performance, is inspired by a family legend about Tabet's great-grand-father. The book accompanies an exhibition at the Kunstverein in Hamburg.
Marwan Rechmaoui - Metropolis
Marwan Rechmaoui
Metropolis
2017
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
Inspired by Beirut's urbanism and cultural history, Rechmaoui's sculptures and installations reflect themes of urbanization and contemporary social and behavioral demographics. Including documentation, essays, and interviews, this illustrated monograph takes a look back at twenty years of work by one of the most important post­war contemporary artists from Lebanon and the region.
Rabih Mroué - Diary of a Leap Year
Rabih Mroué
Diary of a Leap Year
2017
bilingual edition (English / Arabic)
currently out of stock
In Diary of a Leap Year, Lebanese artist produces 366 daily collages from political newspapers in Lebanon and the Arab World, as a protest to the violence taking place in this region.
Guillaume de Sardes - Beirut Round Trips
Guillaume de Sardes
Beirut Round Trips
2016
English edition
De Sardes' photographic wanderings in and around Beirut: an impressionist two-sided journey between day and night, dream and documentary.
Guillaume de Sardes - Retours à Beyrouth - Journal photographique
Guillaume de Sardes
Retours à Beyrouth – Journal photographique
2016
French edition
De Sardes' photographic wanderings in and around Beirut: an impressionist two-sided journey between day and night, dream and documentary.
Ziad Antar - After Images
Ziad Antar
After Images
2016
English edition
Ziad Antar experiments forms, colors and light with his lensless camera, during a long journey searching for the cities where mythology was born. At the core of his work is the questioning of the foundations of photography, through the destructuration of this art (monograph edited in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist).
Architecture of the Territory - Constructing National Narratives in the Arab world
Architecture of the Territory – Constructing National Narratives in the Arab world
2023
English edition
sold out
Architecture of the Territory examines the role that national narratives have in defining the Arab world through the use of architecture and urban planning, through 30 essays, by contributors of each region.
Stories of Paper
Stories of Paper
2022
English edition
sold out
"Stories of Paper" traces the history of paper as a thousand-year-old material used from antiquity to the present day, and provides an original perspective on the history of graphic arts.
Beirut - The Eras of Design
Beirut – The Eras of Design
2022
English edition
sold out
The first retrospective on design in Lebanon, from the 1920s until today, includes works by over 50 designers, uncovering this major design scene in the Middle-East.
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