All the Games We Could Have Played
Here we have a book that seems to be bursting with colour, but over which a veil of grey has descended. We open it up and dive in.
Part 1: on the left-hand side are two envelope-like flaps containing a green booklet. Inside the booklet is a text that begins with the sentence “This is a slow, long letter for you”. Grey drawings are juxtaposed with lines from a dialogue about depression. The letter-writer’s perspective on depression is an external one, expressing a desire to help. There are grey clouds, grey pencil-drawn structures, cross-hatchings, visible crossings-out, smudges, grey landscapes. There’s a longing for connection and to be able to play together. There’s hope and light, but also uncertainty and a cage.
Part 2: on the right-hand side is an orange-hued book block. A counterweight to the aforementioned letter, it’s a gift and an invitation to its addressee: “Let’s go outside and play together”. There are games for two and for more than two plus games to play alone; they are games from a Korean childhood. A vibrant world thus unfolds. The illustrative style is highly distinctive, featuring abstract figures drawn with bold colour blocks that don’t try to hide the materials or method used. Text combines harmoniously with the mix of pictures and shapes, information blending with emotion. The Latin alphabet sits easily alongside occasional lines of Hangul, the Korean writing system. They become part of the game, just like the illustrator’s rubbings or the way the colour bleeds through – it all adds up to a coherent whole, one in which 28 lavishly illustrated game ideas combine with personal anecdotes and captivating visuals.
The two parts are presented in a single case that not only serves to protect them, but also helps to unify the book’s two visually distinct elements. This is a heartfelt invitation to us all to rediscover the joy of play and cherish this form of human interaction.
All the Games We Could Have Played
Dayeon Auh, 2025
17 x 24 cm, 350 pp, Offset, Perfect binding with Swiss brochure
Design, Illustration: Dayeon Auh
Assistent: Fabian Steidl
Printing: Thomas Druck Leipzig
Bindung: Buchbinderei Papp O Mania
Exhibition - Up and Coming: Sponsorship Prize for Young Book Design 2025
July 17 - August 16, 2025
