Ediciones Vigía (cover artist/designer: Zenén Calero Medina), "Pinocho y el tiburón morado: Teatro de Títeres" by Freddy Artiles, circa 1990s-2000s, Hand-crafted artist's book

Ediciones Vigía

Founded in 1985 in Matanzas, Cuba, Ediciones Vigía stands as one of the most remarkable and inventive publishing ventures in contemporary Latin American book arts. Born during Cuba's Special Period of economic hardship, this artisan cooperative transformed scarcity into creativity, producing exquisite hand-crafted books using whatever materials were available—cardboard, wrapping paper, fabric scraps, buttons, yarn, feathers, and found objects. Each book is a unique work of art, individually assembled by a collective of writers, artists, and volunteers who gather to cut, paste, sew, and bind editions that typically number between 200-300 copies.

Vigía's books are intimate gestures that celebrate both Cuban literature and visual culture. Poetry, short stories, and essays by established and emerging Cuban authors are paired with original illustrations, collages, and innovative binding techniques that blur the boundaries between book and sculpture. The press has collaborated with renowned Cuban writers including Nancy Morejón, Reina María Rodríguez, and Pablo Armando Fernández, as well as talented local artists who transform each publication into a tactile, visual, and literary experience.

What makes Vigía extraordinary is not just its aesthetic innovation, but its philosophical commitment to community, creativity, and cultural resistance. In an era of digital reproduction and mass publishing, Vigía insists on the irreplaceable value of the handmade, the local, and the collaborative. Their books are held in major collections worldwide, from the Museum of Modern Art to the British Library, yet they remain deeply rooted in Matanzas, continuing to publish books that are as much about process and community as they are about preserving Cuban literary heritage. Ediciones Vigía represents the triumph of imagination over adversity and the enduring power of books as art objects.