Why it belongs in ORBIS
An independent Taipei art and photography bookstore opened in 2016, specializing in photobooks and magazines from international independent publishers. The Da’an shop also hosts exhibitions and talks focused on photobooks.
moom bookshop opened in 2016 in the Da'an district of Taipei, about five minutes on foot from exit 1 of Zhongxiao Fuxing station. It specialises in photography, stocking new titles and established classics from independent publishers around the world. It set out to give Taiwanese readers open access to photobooks, including exclusive editions. The interior is painted white throughout, and the shop treats the space as a small gallery. Exhibitions and talks run through the year. They range from retrospectives of contemporary photographers to presentations of single publishers. Past shows have included MACK, AKAAKA, Pioneers of Color Photography and the work of Masafumi Sanai. One exhibition was built around the Japanese magazine Provoke. Obscura magazine first visited in the spring of 2019. It described a whitewashed facade with two narrow windows set among older apartment blocks. It also noted an exhibition of the shop's unsold books that gave slow-moving titles a second chance with new owners. The shop sells online and ships overseas as well. Customers outside Taiwan pay by card or PayPal, and cash on delivery is offered within the island. Its former domain, moom.cat, has been retired in favour of moom.com.tw.