Held recently in separate locations during the Singapore Design Society Festival (see our report here), the idea behind the project was to re-introduce these books into mainstream culture.

The complete collection has now gathered at the Kult gallery in an exhibition that’s being held from 25 April to 25 May. Here’s what four Asian participants have to say about their submissions.

Speak Cryptic (Singapore) – Last Exit to Brooklyn

Last Exit To Brooklyn was one of those books that kind of did it for me. And when coming up with ideas for the cover, I remembered thinking that it had to look gritty and raw, or at least give me the same vibe in the visual sense. It was a simple process of just going back and forth to the drawing board and coming up with and settling on an image that best depicted the book. The linework was all done manually and then coloured and textured in Photoshop.

Kristal Melson (Singapore) – The Metamorphosis

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, it struck me how the characters in the story had no sympathy and only disgust for Gregor Samsa in his state of ugliness, even though he dedicated much of his life to them. A cockroach on its back is in its most vulnerable state. If you’ve ever looked at a dying cockroach, are you capable of feeling empathy for it?

Sakiroo (Korea) – Principled Centered Leadership (top image)

To be frank, I never read a book until I was 20. Perhaps I didn’t like reading books before but that changed after reading Principle Centered Leadership. Of course, this is not a book about art or design; it is a self-development book. The book made me realise the importance of humanity. Naturally this enlightenment made me think about artwork and philosophy. I admire Stephen Covey. He showed me what I had to do for the future, almost like a religion. The book title is Principle Centered Leadership so I portrayed him as the centre of the universe between the sun and the moon. The Korean book cover was a portrait of him, so I just expressed the book cover in portrait style.

Sheryo (USA/Singapore) – The Witches

I remember looking at people differently after reading The Witches by Roald Dahl; it made such a weird impact in my life when I was a kid. I was at a beach in Mexico and saw this lady who looked and behaved like a witch – she was in a red bikini and had huge red hair and huge eyes, and she stared at me for a very long time while I ate breakfast at one of the beach cafes. She disappeared into the ocean with huge overhead waves. The next day, I sat at the same spot during breakfast and drew witches for the book project.

The Kult Book Exhibition will be held from 25 April to 25 May at the Kult Gallery, Emily Hill, Blk C2-5, 11 Upper Wilkie Road. Hours: 11am – 6pm on weekdays; appointment on weekends (Tel: 6338 1066). For more information, visit kult.com.sg

The artworks are available in editions of 10 and for sale at SGD$300 (framed).