The love of photography albums lies at the heart of the first Paperlust Photobook Fest 2019 – a review launched at the start of this year’s Krakow Photomonth and running to 14 June. The core of the programme is formed by three exhibitions of projects from countries from the Visegrád Group. Photobook. Storytelling at the Znaczy Się New Art Foundation presents highly personal, low-budget publications with low print runs. Books produced with a greater financial input, published by artists themselves or by publishing houses, are presented at the exhibition Photobook. Asset (Galeria i!). Photobook. Process at the Nośna Gallery focuses on production aspects, using works by Viktor Kopasz and Tomasz Łączny as examples to showcase different methods and stages of creating art books. And let’s not forget about accompanying events, such as the Photobook Dummy Review at Tytano and meetings, reading rooms, kids’ zone at MOCAK and workshops. (Dorota Dziunikowska, “Karnet” magazine)
EXHIBITIONS:
PHOTOBOOK. STORYTELLING
Znaczy się, ul. Kościuszki 37
24 May – 14 June 2019
The show is a part of the series that focuses on various aspects of the photobook. A carefully designed exhibition presents the most interesting samples of the photobooks from the Visegrad region, that have been made out of the need to convey, usually a personal, story. Most of the presented works are either self-published or published in small editions, including hand-made or low-cost printed zine publications. A book, as depicted in the show, becomes the means for communicating one’s personal experience, a cultural experience and the same time becomes an instrument protecting such experience from oblivion. The leitmotiv of a narration underlines the role of the recipient as an active participant/interpreter of the work of art.
Low-cost self-publishing is here a starting point for a polemic about the nature of the medium. The dissemination using the most economic and least demanding means gives it the power of an independent statement. The questions asked by the authors are an attempt to reflect on the phenomena of this type of publications on the Central European market, their role, ways of production and presentation, as well as expectations of the recipient.
PHOTOBOOK. ASSET
Galeria i!, ul. Józefińska 21
24 maja – 14 czerca 2019
Exhibition Asset focuses on the economic and prestige aspects of art publications. An artistic book has become a tool for the emancipation of artist-maker. Having printed publication allows in an almost automatic way to get into the field of the world of art, or rather the history of art. It is often made with the purpose of creating a unique object, that might become a cultural asset.
Except for the context criterion, we do not have any other criteria for evaluation, what is a work of art and what is not. In any case, however, we need legitimacy – perhaps as time passes, distribution of power and who has the legitimacy to evaluate and give the status to a work of art will change. However, traditional, institutional bodies are still holding a strong position. Even though artists, as well as publishers, say that books are overproduced, that there is no environment, not enough audiences or market, publishing an art book still seems to be amongst the best ways to build up one’s position in the art world.
The exhibition presents the selection of books made with a purpose to become an asset, a self-standing piece of art, to bring an income or to became a valuable, collectable object.
PHOTOBOOK.PROCESS Open studio
Nośna, ul Zabłocie 9a/9b
24 maja – 14 czerwca 2019
In this exhibition, we treat objects of art as a consequence and as an event. We explore the medium of a book as a work in progress submerged in group work, culture, and its own particularities. The exhibition investigates photobooks as a constantly evolving medium in relation to its potentiality. It includes drafts, dummies, sketches, and excerpts from different stages of the work that cannot be completed.
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CHILL ZONE (LIBRARY) + KIDS ZONE
MOCAK Library, ul. Lipowa 4
24 maja – 14 czerca 2019 (Tuesday-Friday, 11am-5pm)
If you would like to explore art books in a quiet and peaceful space, Chill Zone is a place to sit down and discover our reading room. It is located in a beautiful and bright MOCAK Library. Presented publications – zines, photobooks, small editions’ publications from Visegrad countries – come from the MOCAK and Paper Beats Rock collections, private collectors, artists and the open call. Organisers invite kids to spent time in Kids Zone, space prepared specially for youngest fans of paper.
