It took place last weekend Printed Matter’s Ny Art Book Fairthe most important art book fair, organized by the historic bookshop of Chelsea. The event, whose first edition dates back to 2006, has returned to its original location at 548 W. 22nd St, in the building a stone’s throw from the bookstore, once home to the Dia Foundation.
As per tradition, artists and collectives, small publishing houses, institutions, galleries, antiquarian bookshops and distributors were present at the fair. But this year too, the lion’s share was played by the photography publishers who, in addition to occupying the entire third floor of the building, were also distributed here and there on the other floors. The Italians present: Cesura Publish, Corraini Edizioni, Image Ecology*, L’Artiere, Mousse Magazine & Publishing, Nero, Skinnerboox, Sprint and Witty Books.
Here is a personal selection of photobook, among the new products previewed at the fair. Listed alphabetically by author:
Little Of Tim Carpenter, The Ice Plant
After the great success of the essay To Photograph Is To Learn How To Die, now in its fifth reprint, the American artist (1968) returns to show us his work. As happens more and more often recently, the book is small in format (16×20 cm) and, in this way, allows a more intimate relationship between the reader and the sequence of 42 black and white images, taken in Illinois. Little would like to convey the point of view of a child who comes across signs, buildings, paths, the very particular light of the Midwestern state. It is the attempt to return to an innocent gaze, capable of being amazed by the presence of things. Compact, essential, anti-rhetorical.
