The 2013 edition of Printed Matter’s New York Art Book Fair, held annually at MoMA PS1, featured a performance by MASKS, a Bruno Munari exhibition, a collage-making party, and the launch of multi-talented artist Tauba Auerbach’s new project, Diagonal Press, among other things. Unfortunately, we had to miss it in order to attend a hipster summer camp weekend upstate, but were we jealous? No! Because not only were we clever enough to ask noted bookworm and SU contributor Brian W. Ferry to document it for us, we’d also managed to trick ourselves into believing that attending would have been a terrible idea: It’s a hot, crowded, and sweaty affair, one that has the tantalizing potential each year to completely bankrupt us. So yeah, we totally dodged a bullet, right? Right? Well either way, we can all live vicariously through Brian by checking out his pictures and commentary in the slideshow at right.
“I really enjoyed browsing the Bruno Munari exhibit in the center of the dome. Organized by Edizioni Corraini, the exhibition showcased archival Munari books, pamphlets, drawings, and other items. Browsing the first editions of Munari’s books, it was clear why he was so influential.”
“I wished I could flip through this book in the Munari exhibition and see more: the Supplement to the Italian Dictionary (1958). The inscription read: ‘Italians use gestures to express an incalculable number of things, actions and feelings; and the distinctive thing about gestures is that they can provide a more exact and intense idea of certain states of mind and psychological feelings than any spoken words.’”
“One of my favorite tables inside the dome was from Philadelphia-based Bodega. Wonderful objects and new editions from Elizabeth Atterbury (left) and Pia Howell (right).”
“The Bodega table, featuring ceramics by the talented Jessica Hans and bookends from Chen Chen and Kai Williams. I want these in my home.”
“NYC bookshop and publisher Ed Varie teamed up with Satoshi to build a small, plant-filled greenhouse in the courtyard of PS1. Many of the books featured inside were plant or outdoor-themed, including a brand new release from Ed Varie, Garden Variety, which features photographs from a number of inspiring contemporary photographers.”
“Every year, Printed Matter releases an few small editions from well-known artists; this year, Sarah Crowner’s The Color 3-6 Portfolio series caught my eye. These four graphic silkscreen prints show the step-by-step progression of building a form, resolving in The Color 6 on the right.”
The basement level of PS1 hosted ‘5 Years in 50 Tons,’ from Marlborough Chelsea.”
“The table from NY-based Karma books was a highlight. Karma brought an inspiring and eclectic mix of new and vintage books (Tempest in a Teapot: The Ceramic Art of Peter Shire next to Laura Owen’s CLOCKS, published earlier this year by Karma). The table itself was covered with doodles and drawings that reminded me of middle-school binder art.”
“Super-talented artist and publisher Tauba Auerbach seemed to pop up everywhere this year, and her new publishing imprint, Diagonal Books, was looking great. Above, posters that feature Auerbach’s intricate and inventive fonts.”
“The Thing Quarterly has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years, and this year’s subscription series is a real treat. Each year, four artists work with The Thing to create something which the artist deems to be ‘a useful object.’”
“Tauba Auerbach’s edition for The Thing Quarterly, It’s About Time, was released at the Book Fair this year. It’s a 24-hour wall clock (midnight to midnight); the face and the 24 numerals were designed by Auerbach.”
“The Book Fair is always an intense experience; it’s crowded and bustling and there’s always so much to see. This year, the room inhabited by the Yale School of Architecture was a beautiful, light-filled sanctuary from the crowds and I spent some time sitting here, looking through the projects laid out by grad students in the School of Architecture.”
“The Billboard Book Project was another special event organized and exhibited specifically for the fair by Jonathan Monk, and designed by talented friend Benjamin Critton Art Dept. The instructions and definition of the project were written out in the copy on the billboard itself. In addition to the above installation, unsanctioned copies of posters made on behalf of the Billboard Book Project were ‘wheatpasted’ or ‘flyposted’ around Brooklyn and Queens. Even the cage lighting at the foot of the billboards was prescribed by the project and written on the billboards.”
“Libraryman from Sweden is always a favorite, publishing amazing books of photographs by Ron Jude and Vivian Sasson, among others. Pictured, the display behind their table.”
“Connecticut-based Draw Down was a new find for me this year, and I really loved their stuff. Beautifully designed and presented, with interesting graphics and layouts; I liked everything on their table.”
“Another personal favorite, Hassla always publishes the best stuff. They’ve recently released a couple of new books, including Face Pots by artist Dan McCarthy. One of McCarthy’s face pots was on display — they’re much larger than I had expected!”
“Perimeter Books from Australia was also a new discovery this year, and I loved their book of photos by Georgia Hutchison and Arini Byng, called Moved Objects. Here, a series of prints from the book were hanging on the wall behind Perimeter’s table.”
“Local Brooklyn publisher VUU Collective was offering all 12 books in their ‘Super Special’ series (released between July 2012 and June 2013). Aside from the great cover colors, the books are full of arresting images from up-and-coming contemporary photographers from around the world. The list of photographers was refreshingly diverse.”
“I love Gottlund. Run by the very talented Nicholas Gottlund, a few of these books are special editions created by Nick himself, and they explore the very act of printing and binding books (Brick Gutters, for example). I love to see his explorations, in photography as well as book-making and publishing, and I’m always inspired by the simplicity and ingenuity of this project. Simple Pleasures by Zoe Ghertner is a brand new release and was a favorite of the fair this year.”
“The courtyard of MoMA PS1, where the NY Art Book Fair is held. This year the food vendors were outdoors as well, which made the event seem even more festive.”
Halfway through our ferry ride across Manhattan's East River to Randall's Island this weekend, thunder rang out, the skies opened up, and a torrential downpour enveloped our little boat, ruining our hair and prompting dozens of our fellow travelers to whip out their iPhone cameras with glee. But neither rain nor sleet nor snow was going to keep us away from this year's Frieze Art Fair, especially after we missed the 2012 show due to Noho Design District preparations and — through the reports of friends and critics — definitely lived to regret it. Once we were inside the giant white tent (designed by the local architecture firm SO-IL), snapping away on our own iPhones while drooling over the smell of Mission Chinese that hovered mercilessly over the central arc of the space, we didn't mind so much that our feet were sloshing around inside our shoes. We managed to see nearly everything — including an amazing performance piece by our favorite, Tino Sehgal — identified several strange recurring trends (art made on or from mirrors, references to outdated technologies), and had a major celeb spotting (Jared Leto) to boot. Check out some of the pieces we Instagrammed after the jump, then head over to our Facebook gallery to see even more photos.
In our fourth year of producing the Noho Design District, we’ve learned a few things. Namely: That while industrial, disused spaces have loads of charm, they also run the risk of leaking when those May showers hit. After two years of emergency sandbagging and climbing onto roofs in our galoshes, we decided it was time to go legit. So when we heard last fall that 45 Bleecker Street — which played host to Tom Dixon’s labyrinthine underground exhibition in 2012 — was about to undergo a gut renovation, to be reborn as a music events space, we knew we wanted in. We decided early on that the space would be filled with up-and-coming talents for our Noho Next exhibition, which in the past has proved a bellwether for design stardom, featuring the likes of Jonah Takagi, ROLU, Fort Standard, Iacoli & McAllister, and Brendan Ravenhill. We have a feeling this year’s edition will prove no different.
New York Design Week may already feel like a distant memory, but we couldn't move on to covering the upcoming Design Miami Basel fair — or start publishing all the amazing studio visits and house tours we've been saving up for the past few weeks — without doing one last post about all the offsite shows we saw (and didn't see) during this year's ICFF. From magnified eyeballs to garbage arches to our favorite watering can of all time, check out the official Sight Unseen roundup below.
