What to See, Hear, and Read at Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair

Books. Zines. Bounded paper of various formats. You know, the other way of reading words and looking at pictures (meaning without WiFi). There are stores dedicated to that kind of thing, and even events like Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair at the MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary. Who knew?

The fair, open through the weekend, features publishers from 24 countries, each with their own unique brand of books, magazines, DIY zines, and really all the other ephemera classifiable under the ‘art book’ moniker, and then some. Of course, The Creators Project favorites PauWau Publications and 8 Ball will be in attendance, but that’s only the beginning.

From Lazy Mom #4 Easy Yum. Image: Courtesy of Lazy Mom

The zine’s punk roots will show through at booths like Kill Your Idols, but for something more polished, the cheeky photographic zines repped by Lazy Mom, Silent Sound, or Dead Beat Club will do the trick. Theory in the European tradition takes precedence at Semiotext(e) and Motto. And, don’t miss Girls Like Us for your intersectional feminist fix.

There’s also a program of events throughout the weekend. On Friday, Bill Burns will present his new memoir, Hans Ulrich Obrist Hear Us, published by YYZ Books. Saturday has a stacked program with Camille Henrot talking about her new book Elephant Child, which she wrote simultaneously with Grosse Fatigue, her now-widely toured and talked-about contribution to the 2013 Venice Biennale.

Cynthia Connolly’s “Big Lots”, published by Dead Beat Club Image: Courtesy of Dead Beat Club

The rest of the day is dedicated to activist-oriented programming. The founders of FER YOUz will discuss their involvement in the Southern California Hardcore scene, joined by Keith Morris of Black Flag. Then, a more pertinent and contemporary topic will inform the next talk, “The Art of Movement Building,” presented by the Black Lives Matter Network. Finally, a culmination of all the art theory and identity politics is a discussion of Hannah Black’s new book, Dark Pool Party.

And if you’re headed to the fair on Sunday, check out the “MaMA Cubicle” talk, a discussion about Zanna Gilbert’s 2015 project of the same name, where she mounted a series of exhibitions in a breast-pumping and baby-nursing room in MoMA’s New York offices.

Installation by Cali Thornhill Dewitt at the 2015 LA Art Book Fair. Image: Courtesy of Printed Matter/LA Art Book Fair

To learn more about Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair, click here. 

Related:

New York: It’s Zine Time at MoMA

17 Artists, Presses, and Publishers to Know at the NY Art Book Fair

Can An Art Book Make Music Physical Again?