Drawstring is a zine by New York City rapper Wiki, featuring scans of the artist’s illustrations, handwritten lyrics, photographs, and collages, as well as items such as a package of Dutch Masters cigars and the head of a stuffed animal. Bookended by Wiki’s face and a scan of two iron-on patches—a shamrock and the Puerto Rican flag, symbols of the rapper’s joint Irish and Puerto Rican heritage—Drawstring is a celebration of identity, place, and varied artistic practice.

Founded in 1976, Printed Matter, Inc. is the world’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination, understanding and appreciation of artists’ books and related publications.

First established in Tribeca by a group of individuals working in the arts (among them artist Sol LeWitt and critic Lucy Lippard), Printed Matter was developed in response to the growing interest in publications made by artists. Starting in the early 60s, many of the pioneering conceptual artists (as well as performance, process, environment, sound and other experimental media artists) began to explore the possibilities of the book form as an artistic medium. Large-edition and economically produced publications allowed experimentation with artworks that were affordable and could circulate outside of the mainstream gallery system. Printed Matter provided a space that championed artists’ books as complex and meaningful artworks, helping bring broader visibility to a medium that was not widely embraced at the time.