ART FAIRS:Printing Plant Book Fair 2019
Independent artistic print culture has a rich narrative in Amsterdam but there are few places for artists and publishing houses to present the progressive publications they are producing to the wider public. Many titles are only on view in a small selection of motivated and specialist booksellers, museum bookshops and galleries.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Looiersgracht 60 Archive
Looiersgracht 60 has taken up the opportunity to create a platform to support the art book of the present, and to foster a community of art-publishers both locally and globally. In conjunction with Amsterdam Art Weekend, 22 – 24 November 2019, Looiersgracht 60 is organising the 2nd edition of Printing Plant, an intimate three-day art book fair for like-minded, independent publishers and interested audiences. With 80 publishers from 19 countries, Printing Plant presents a remarkable selection of artist editions, catalogues, books, monographs, periodicals and zines that are generally unavailable in bookshops. Spanning 750 square meters of exhibition space, the fair invites visitors to learn from a range of carefully selected independent publishers, antiquarian dealers, artists, galleries and printmakers who will be showcasing their works throughout the weekend. Publishing has assumed an increasingly central position within artistic practices yet it has become increasingly difficult to produce, distribute and present art books in recent years – often due to a lack of funding. Even though independent artistic print culture has a rich narrative in Amsterdam, there are few places for artists and publishing houses to present the progressive publications they are producing to the wider public. Many beautiful titles are only on view in a small selection of motivated and specialist booksellers, museum bookshops and galleries. Looiersgracht 60 in collaboration with small press specialist Atheneaum Boekhandel, introduce a new magazine corner in which they curate an area dedicated to exploring the best of today’s magazines. Alongside this, Printing Plant 2019 hosts an array of special new collaborations with the likes of the bookshop San Seriffe, the Rijksakademie, and the online directory for independent publishers, Readers and Publishers. Over the course of the weekend, the fair will be complemented by a carefully curated public programme. Through special collaborations with an array of international cultural institutions and publishers, Printing Plant will host 2 workshops, 15 book launches, and 12 lectures and panel discussions.
Info: Printing Plant Book Fair 2019, Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam, Duration: 22-24/11/19, Days & Hours: Fri-Sat 12:00-20:00, Admission: Free, www.looiersgracht60.org
