Art catalogues, artists' books, art periodicals, and 'zines. Over 70 international exhibitors
Printed Matter, Inc. presents The NY Art Book Fair, New York City’s first annual fair devoted
to contemporary art books and artists’ books. Over 70 international exhibitors, from major
distributors and antiquarian dealers to independent publishers and artists occupy a dual-level
20,000 square foot space. The fair takes place 17 through 19 November, 2006, in the heart
of Chelsea’s gallery district at 548 West 22nd Street. A ticketed Benefit Preview on
Thursday, 16, 6-9 pm, November benefits Printed Matter, Inc. ADMISSION TO THE FAIR
AND EVENTS IS FREE.
Exhibitors and participants from New York City to Reykjavik and Tokyo are convening to share
their involvement and activities with contemporary art books. Friendly Fire, a curated zone
of artists and independent publishers features artists and art collectives who self-publish in a
free-spirited range of forms from books and ’zines to CDs and DVDs. Spreading the Friendly
Fire esprit de corps, Mark Pawson, a London-based “image junkie and photocopier fetishist,"
leads Books for Everyone!, a book-making workshop.
Fun and engaging events including book launches, signings, performances, and talks take
place each day of the fair. Creative Time launches Who Cares, their new book exploring art and
social action. This evening features Iraqi food presented by Michael Rakowitz and performances
and presentations by Seth Tobocman, Dread Scott and Mark Tribe. Matthew Higgs moderates
a panel on Printed Matter’s 30th anniversary—Can We Trust An Organization Over 30? Artists
present for book signings include Jen DeNike, Silvia Kolbowski, John Lurie, Josephine Meckseper,
Paper Rad, Walid Raad, and Tom Sachs, among others.
Brooklyn artist/designer j.morrison presents an interactive, performative silkscreening station.
Danish artist Goodiepal gives an electronic music performance in collaboration with a Pork
Salad Press signing. PERFORMA presents the fair’s finale with a performance by Clifford Owens,
a recent resident at The Studio Museum in Harlem. Owen’s piece, Four Fluxus Scores by
Benjamin Patterson (2006), is based on the work of Benjamin Patterson, the only U.S. black artist affiliated with Fluxus. Afterwards, RoseLee Goldberg will give comments on the relationship
between performance art and documentation.
Specially commissioned for the Fair, artist installations by Joshua Smith and Jan De Cock are
on view all weekend. Joshua Smith surrounds the Friendly Fire zone with hundreds of event
posters featuring his expressionistic monikers. Belgian artist Jan De Cock debuts a conceptual
sculptural installation that forms Thea Westreich and Ethan Wagner’s fair booth to launch his
new 632-page book, Denkmal ISBN 908042427. De Cock has previously created large-scale public
installations at Tate Modern (2005) and Manifesta 5 (2004) that have received widespread
critical acclaim.
D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers exhibits a new poster series by Gerhard Richter. Lushly printed
by venerated art publisher Walther Konig, these works reflect the importance of photomechanical
reproduction in Richter’s practice.
Also on view will be REPLICATION: The Books of Sol LeWitt, an exhibition curated by Printed
Matter Director AA Bronson. AA Bronson said, “Printed Matter is proud to honor Sol LeWitt
with this exhibition of over 40 of his books, which have been at once the baseline of his own
creative endeavor, and an example to several generations of artists as to how much is possible
with modest means and methods." The books are drawn from the remarkable collection of
Philip Aarons, Chair of Printed Matter's Board.
In honor of Printed Matter’s 30th anniversary, artists Richard Prince, Matthew Brannon, and
Chris Johanson have created new limited editions for the fair’s opening night Benefit Preview.
Tickets are available at three price tiers and each level of admission is accompanied by a limited
edition artwork. Richard Prince has produced a previously unprinted photographic edition that
was originally conceived as part of his 1970s Untitled (couples) series for the $7,500 ticket.
Matthew Brannon has printed a three-color silkscreen incorporating visual themes from his recent solo exhibition at Petzel Gallery for the $150 ticket. Chris Johanson has created a silkscreened
ticket edition available as the $20 friend ticket, this is also included for purchasers of
the Prince and Brannon editions.
Exhibitors: 2nd Cannons Publications; 871 Fine Arts; ANARTIST; Andrew Roth; ARTFORUM;
A.R.T. Press (Art Resources Transfer, Inc.); Art in America; Art on Paper; Art Metropole; Back East
Press (James Prez); Banana Books; Boekie Woekie, books by artists; Book Works; Bose Pacia;
Cabinet; Cinders Gallery; Coracle; D.A.P/Distributed Art Publishers, Inc.; Dia Art Foundation;
Deep Dish TV; Dexter Sinister; Dia Art Foundation; ELK; Edie Fake; Fluens Forlag (Jasper
Sebastian Sturup); free103point9; FREIGHT + VOLUME; GAS; Kate Glicksberg; Granary Books;
Heavy Tapes; Imschoot, uitgevers; J&L Books; Steven Leiber; lightreading, inc.; Michael Lowe
Gallery; Lovely Daze, (Charwei Tsai); LTTR; Scott McCarney VisualBooks/Keith Smith Books;
John McWhinnie @ Glenn Horowitz Bookseller; Marcus Campbell Art Books; The MIT Press;
Modern Painters; Nature Morte; Nieves; onestar press; Open City; Our Mouth; Parkett Publishers;
Mark Pawson; PictureBox; Pork Salad Press; powerHouse Books; The Press of the Nova Scotia
College of Art and Design (NSCAD University); Printed Matter, Inc.; r.a.m. publications +
distribution, inc.; Sara Ranchouse Publishing; Revolver; Retard Riot (Noah Lyon); RGAP (Research
Group for Artists Publications); Ridykeulous, Scrub; Space Poetry; stop over press; TASCHEN;
TEXTE ZUR KUNST; Thea Westreich and Ethan Wagner, Publishers of Artists' Books; Ugly Duckling
Presse; USELESS; Weproductions; WAKO WORKS OF ART; White Columns; Dale Wittig; World
War 3 Illustrated; Zucker Art Books.
Printed Matter, Inc. was founded in 1976 by a group of like-minded artists and art workers. Now entering its 30th year,
it is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted to artists’ publications. Printed Matter offers some 15,000 titles
by 5,000 artists at its Chelsea storefront, by mail order, and on its website http://www.printedmatter.org.
For benefit ticket inquires and more information, please contact Savannah Gorton,
Fair Manager and Programming Coordinator, at 212.925.0325, or sgorton@printedmatter.org.
For press inquiries, contact Catherine Krudy, Bibliographer and Programming Assistant, at 212.925.0325, or
ckrudy@printedmatter.org.
NY Art Book Fair
548 West 22nd Street (10th & 11th Aves), New York
Admission to the fair and all events is FREE.
Hours: Friday & Saturday, November 17 - 18, 11am - 7pm
Sunday, November 19, 11am - 5pm