Art Book Fair, New York. 2016
Every September, the New York Art Book Fair unfolds in the many classrooms of MoMA PS1 as the world’s biggest market of expanded publishing at its intersection with art. Organised by Printed Matter, it’s an event that attracts specialist dealers, makers, and publishers from all over the globe. A big chunk of the visitors are also shoppers who are willing to travel far and wide in the search of a limited edition of Art & Language, or the very first issue of Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine. From obscure ‘60s artist periodicals to art world erotica, it’s a whirlpool of everything print. It’s also a gathering of the world’s trendiest bibliophiles bravely fighting back any predictions of a declining book market in a time of digital publishing. In fact, browsing through the fair’s 200+ stands, it points to a revitalised field wherein art, writing, photography, fashion and graphic design converge in a highly satisfying material form.
SLEEK went to the fair for a literary browse and to spot the best attended stands
William Klein and Toshio Saek for Komiyama Tokyo. Images from david campany.com and pinterest.com
Komiyama, Tokyo
Quite incredibly, the Tokyo-based Komiyama boasts a 75-year-old history of selling specialist vintage books and artwork. From their store in the Jinbocho area, a whole area of Tokyo dedicated to vintage book-selling, Komiyama specialises in procuring the most marginal finds from the worlds of photography and straight out of Tokyo’s subcultural life. Toshio Saeki’s hyper-erotic woodcuts are particularly unnerving.
Bernadette Corporation and Ren Hang for Claire de Rouen. Images from static1-squarespace-com and shop.clairederouenbooks.com
Claire de Rouen, London
Since opening in 2005 with the launch of Bruce Weber’s book, Claire de Rouen has provided London with the most eclectic mix of art, fashion and specialist photography. Tucked away on the first floor of a building on Charing Cross Road, the last bastion of creative Soho is for the initiated few. In New York, CdR presented a carefully curated stand combining old collectibles with mass-distributed classics, based on the notion of “intimacy”. Don’t miss Bernadette Corporation’s monograph 2000 Wasted years, published by Artist Space.
Carter Mull and Ebecho Muslimova for Onestar Press and Threestar Books. Images from blackandwhite-co.com and elephantmag.com
Three Star Books and onestar Press, Paris
Three Star Books, by Mélanie Scarciglia and Christophe Boutin, is publishing-as-medium at its most elaborate. The Parisian specialist press produces approximately one book a year in collaboration with a contemporary artist, often oversized and challenging the boundary between “book” and “artwork”. Onestar is their little sister, publishing artist books in pocket format with equal enthusiasm.
Fantasian by Larissa Pham and One Valencia Lane by Bettina Davis
Badlands Unlimited, NYC
Badlands Unlimited has become an institution in its own right since launching in 2010, as the swankiest publisher of books “in the expanded field”. They indiscriminately fluctuate from PDFs to print books, and their series of art world-infused contemporary erotica have become a stable in every bookstore with respect for itself. At the fair they premiered their two latest novellas in the acclaimed erotica series “New Lovers”: “Fantasian” by Larissa Pham and “One Valencia Lane” by Bettina Davis.
Baldessari and Nanna Zabriskie for Printed Matter, Inc. Images from zabriskie.de and amazon.com
Printed Matter, Inc. – Rare and Out of Print, NYC
For art historical paraphernalia, head to Printed Matter’s own stall of collectible publishing – a real treasure-chest for the rematerialised dematerialisation of the art object. Available are original Baldessari catalogues, a documentary pamphlet of Abramovic and Ulay in the ‘70s, and even the first copies of Avalanche, the iconic ‘70s artist journal.