Content through Structure: the Critical Focus on the Artist’s Book as Object

With an artist’s book, content and form are interwoven, but those works that strike us first as a sculptural object, then invite us to be “read” upon closer inspection, are often removed from discourse about the book. I will moderate a panel of three other artists who both make and write about artist’s books and an art reviewer who has written about artist’s books for decades for a broader art public. This panel will delve deeper into this approach to the book, its place within the art world and the constructs of language around it. Miriam Schaer will survey historic non-traditional structures and materials from ancient times through the middle ages, and the impact of these book forms on contemporary artist’s books. Mary Ting will discuss traditional Eastern book related formats used by contemporary Asian artists to highlight political cultural issues. Pablo Helguera, with his many approaches to the written word both as a conceptual art form and as an expository tool, will bridge the discussion from the art object to the critical language around it.. And John Haber will discuss his discovery of the book object and how his initial awakened curiosity has informed his art writing over almost two decades.

Founded in 2008, CABC has been a long time programing partner of Printed Matter’s Art Book Fairs. This year CABC will be presented as part of Printed Matter’s Virtual Art Book Fair.