Printed Matter’s Booth, LAABF 2015. Photo by Ruben Diaz
Printed Matter’s 2019 LA Art Book Fair (LAABF) will host 390 exhibitors from 31 countries, including a broad range of artists and collectives, small presses, institutions, galleries, antiquarian booksellers, and distributors. With a commitment to diversity and representation, the fair serves as a meeting place for an extended community of publishers and book enthusiasts, as well as a site for dialogue and exchange around all facets of arts publishing.
Free and open to the public, Printed Matter’s 2019 LA Art Book Fair, will take place April 12–14, 2019, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
A ticketed Opening Night preview will be held on Thursday, April 11, 6–9 pm. Tickets to the opening night are $20 and include a limited edition work by artist Jeffrey Cheung of Unity Press. The evening will feature live performances by Eartheater and special guests, presented by Mount Analog.
New Fundraising Editions offered by Printed Matter will feature artworks by Jeffrey Cheung of Unity Press, Jibade-Khalil Huffman, and Ella Kruglyanskaya. Fundraising editions support Printed Matter’s year-round work of providing resources to artists and championing the artists’ books and publications.
Over the course of four days, LAABF will provide more than 100 free conversations, workshops, performances, and other artist-led programs. Fair programs also include curated exhibitor sections, publication-focused exhibitions, and signings and launches of new books.
Highlights and Programming for the 2019 LAABF include:
- The Contemporary Artists’ Books Conference (CABC), held next door at the Japanese American National Museum, will feature a keynote speaker and panel session focusing on the state of artists’ books in Los Angeles.
- Under the Sun, presented by Printed Matter and Wide Rainbow, is a dynamic new space for children, teens, and families that will host free programs throughout the weekend including artist-led workshops, book launches, and guided walkthroughs.
- Anteism Books—together with Artists + Machine Intelligence (A+MI), a research program at Google—will present a selection of print editions, objects and art books by artists working with artificial intelligence.
- Gagosian will present a project space exploring the multifaceted work and influences of painter and performance artist Spencer Sweeney, who along with collaborators, who will record a musical performance directly onto a 7-inch single using a record lathe—a device for making individual records by cutting into the vinyl, in real time.
- The Corita Art Center in Los Angeles was established in 1997 to preserve and honor the legacy of Corita Kent (1918–1986), an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. At LAABF, the Center will present an exploration of its archive alongside a selection of screen prints by the artist.
For more information, visit printedmatter.org/LAABF2019.
