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arts Article It’s All in the Reading Déirdre Kelly Independent Artist, 30121 Venezia, Italy; [email protected] Received: 2 December 2019; Accepted: 27 January 2020; Published: 10 February 2020 Abstract: It seems inherent in the nature of contemporary artist’s book production to continue to question the context for the genre in contemporary art practice, notwithstanding the medium’s potential for dissemination via mass production and an unquestionable advantage of portability for distribution. Artists, curators and editors operating in this sector look to create contexts for books in a variety of imaginative ways, through exhibition, commission, installations, performance and, of course as documentation. Broadening the discussion of the idea of the book within contemporary art practice, this paper examines the presence and role of book works within the context of the art biennale, in particular the Venice Art Biennale of which the 58th iteration (2019) is entitled ‘May You Live In Interesting Times’ and curated by Ralph Rugoff, with an overview of the independent International cultural offerings and the function of the ‘Book Pavilion’. Venetian museums and institutions continue to present vibrant diverse works within the arena of large-scale exhibitions, recognising the position that the book occupies in the history of the city. This year, the appearance for the first time, of ‘Book Biennale’, opens up a new and interesting dialogue, taking the measure of how the book is being promoted and its particular function for visual communication within the arts in Venice and beyond. Keywords: artists’ books; artists’ publications; book works; publishing; Venice Art Biennale; Venice; Book Biennale; The Library; book 1. Introduction ::: there is one thing that reading will never be and that is something new. Simon Ford, The Art of Reading1 From the prehistoric advent of image making, the development of handwriting into codices, volumes and manuscripts, and the revelation of the printed book, to e-books of the present, reading has provided a route in the development of visual language and communication. Yet, where the artist’s book fits into this historiography has always been a matter of much debate. The danger has always been to think about artists’ books as a medium in and of itself that should be understood in isolation from other modes of expression. Christophe Cherix(2013, p. 4) In today’s world of competing technologies, the flexibility of the book as a format to absorb change and its ability to re position are what make it such a dynamic medium in which, to reflect on, respond to and simply become practice and artefact. Whether engaging with viewers in gallery, library, bookshop or indeed any other location, the book is a primary medium for the artists’ imagination in exploring the limitless range of function and form. 1 See: http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/stories/ford_reading.html. Arts 2020, 9, 19; doi:10.3390/arts9010019 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts ArtsArts 20202020,, 99,, 19 19 2 2of of 18 18 Nowhere is artistic intention more concretely wed to the circumstances of its production andNowhere reception is artistic than intentionin the field more of concretelypublishing wed. Whether to the circumstances a limited edition of its artist’s production book, and a tradereception publication than in printed the field in of a publishing. run of 10,000, Whether a compact a limited disk, edition or a website artist’s book,that reaches a trade millions,publication the printednumber in of a projects run of 10,000, published a compact by artists disk, is orat aan website all-time that high. reaches Never millions, before havethe number so many of artists projects taken published an interest by artists in manipulating is at an all-time their high. representations Never before in have print. so many artists taken an interest in manipulating their representations in print. Cornelia Lauf (1998, p. 67) Cornelia Lauf(1998, p. 67) This paper looks to broaden the discussion of the idea of the book within contemporary art through lookingThis paper at the looks presence to broaden and role the discussionof book works of the wi ideathin the of the context book of within the art contemporary biennale. By artexamining through thelooking assimilation at the presence and presence and role of bookthe book works at within the current the context Venice of theInternational art biennale. Art By examiningBiennale and the collateralassimilation events and in presence the wider of thelocality book of at Venice the current itself, Venice the city International in which I work Art Biennale and live and as an collateral artist, writerevents and in the curator, wider localitywe can of come Venice to itself,understand the city the in which ways Iin work which and producers live as an artist,and publishers writer and operatingcurator, we in canthis comeexpanding to understand and influential the ways sector in whichcreate producerscontext and and dissemination publishers operatingfor the book, in this in andexpanding through and exhibition, influential installation sector create, performance context and and documentation. dissemination for the book, in and through exhibition,For many, installation, the International performance Art andBiennale, documentation. Venice, now in its 58th edition represents a primary arenaFor for many,artists theand International curators on a Art global Biennale, scale. Venice,The exhibition, now in its which 58th editiontakes place represents over a aperiod primary of sevenarena formonths, artists is and without curators doubt on a globalone of scale.the broa Thedest exhibition, exposés which of contemporary takes place over practice a period with of attendanceseven months, at the is withoutprevious doubt Biennale one ofin the2017 broadest register exposed as éovers of contemporary615,000 visitors practice and the with 2019 attendance event set toat surpass the previous this. BiennaleEntitled in‘May 2017 You registered Live In as Intere oversting 615,000 Times’, visitors it takes and the terms 2019 of event reference set to surpassfrom a counterfeitthis. Entitled curse, ‘May at Youa moment Live In when Interesting the digital Times’, diss itemination takes terms of of fake reference news and from ‘alternative a counterfeit facts’ curse, is corrodingat a moment political when discourse the digital and dissemination the trust on of which fake newsit depends: and ‘alternative ‘It will not facts’ have is a corrodingtheme per political se, but willdiscourse highlight and a the general trust on approach which it to depends: making ‘Itart will and not a view have of a themeart’s social per se, function but will as highlight embracing a general both pleasureapproach and to makingcritical thinking. art and aThe view Exhibition of art’s socialwill focus function on the as work embracing of artists both who pleasure challenge and existing critical habitsthinking. of thought The Exhibition and open will up focus our onreadings the work of ofob artistsjects and who images, challenge gestures existing and habits situations’ of thought (Rugoff and 2019).open upThe our use readings of the term of objects ‘reading’ and images,is here being gestures applied and situations’ in broad terms, (Rugo ffas2019 noted). The by useClive of Ph theillpot term (2003):‘reading’ is here being applied in broad terms, as noted by Clive Phillpot(2003): TheThe act act of of reading reading has has been been stretched stretched from from reading reading a literary a literary work, work, to reading to reading a map, a map, to readingto reading a painting, a painting, to reading to reading a city, a city, but but in inessence essence it applies it applies to tothe the decoding decoding of ofwriting. writing. SinceSince 1982, 1982, Clive Clive Phillpot Phillpot (curator, (curator, author, author, and andlibrarian, librarian, Chelsea Chelsea School School of Art, ofUK Art, and UKMoMA, and NewMoMA, York) New has York)tried to has define tried a to location define for a location artists’ books for artists’ within books the greater within art/book the greater milieu. art/ bookThis diagrammaticmilieu. This diagrammatic overview, visualised overview, as a visualised ‘fruit’ version as a ‘fruit’in 1980s version and further in 1980s distilled and further in 2003, distilled is still ina useful2003, ispoint still aof useful reference point having of reference provided having the fluid provided term the‘verbi-visual’ fluid term ‘verbi-visual’(Figure 1). (Figure1). (a) (b) FigureFigure 1. (a) CliveClive Phillpot.Phillpot. 19821982 diagram, diagram, Twentysix Twentysix Gasoline Gasoline Stations Stations that that shook shook the the world: world: The The Rise Riseand Falland of Fall Cheap of BookletsCheap Booklets as Art; (b )as Clive Art; Phillpot. (b) Clive 2003 Phillpot. diagram, 2003 Outside diagram, of a Dog, Outside Gateshead: of a BalticDog, Gateshead:Centre for ContemporaryBaltic Centre for Art. Contemporary Art. RalphRalph Rugoff, Rugoff, curator curator writes writes that that ‘May ‘May You You Live Live In In Interesting Interesting Times’ Times’ is is to to be be formulated formulated in in the the beliefbelief that that human human happiness happiness depends depends on on substantive substantive conversations, conversations, because because as as social social animals animals we we are are drivendriven to bothboth create create and and find find meaning, meaning, and and to connect to connect with others.with others. From theFrom objectives the objectives of the biennale: of the Arts 2020, 9, 19 3 of 18 Arts 2020, 9, 19 3 of 18 Arts 2020, 9, 19 3 of 18 ::: to underscore the idea that the meaning of artworks are not embedded principally in objects but in biennale: … to underscore the idea that the meaning of artworks are not embedded principally in conversations—firstbiennale: … to underscore between the artist idea and that artwork, the meaning and thenof artworks between are artwork not embedded and audience, principally and laterin objects but in conversations—first between artist and artwork, and then between artwork and betweenobjects dibutfferent in conversations—first publics (Rugoff 2019 between).

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