Photographer and tastemaker Tim Barber's online art gallery, Tiny Vices, has probably eaten up more of our precious time than all the MP3 blogs put together. Carefully edited and simple to use, Tiny Vices has introduced readers to an entire clique of visual work ranging from the ghostly, back-alley photography of Christian Patterson to the truly cracked illustrations of David Benjamin Sherry. With artists ranging from the near-unknown to scene faves (including Ryan McGinley), Tiny Vices has evolved into a virtual perch from which to watch the growth of current minor movements and future major names. Until now, though, Barber's reach has been limited to the internet and periodic on-site exhibitions.
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With the introduction of his new independent publishing house, however, Barber's domain has moved beyond the desktop to the coffee table. TV Books, which is just now releasing its first pressings of limited-edition artist volumes, already has a catalogue of 12 titles including the The Island, Julia Burlingham's curious photo tribute to Manhattan and I am not a Shrinking Violet, a collection of Kim Krans' beguiling collages. In keeping with Tiny Vice's charming DIY flavor, the sites "flip through" feature consists of Barber literally flipping through his titles in front of a camera. You'll have to look carefully at speeding art, but with online ordering and larger prints available on request, they won't be hard to pin down.
The Treachery of Scrimmages by Jason Matthew Lee