~NY ART BOOK FAIR/PRINTED MATTER
more on: THE NY ART BOOK FAIR / 24 -26 OCTOBER 2008 !!
. . . just like THRIFT SHOP is the new black !! – just joking !! (maybe not . . . !!)
GRAPHIC ARTS & in particular GRAPHIC DESIGN are the new career choices and consuming interest – of the art world’s youngest wave of creative citizens. (its either that, …. or street art !!)
And animated happy chattering hordes of these bright young professionals turned up – en masse, for the 2008 NY ART BOOK FAIR. and why not. it was chockful of brilliant design, cutting edge content, a multitude of formats – and multiples – that were easily acquired – on an entry level NYC salary – or often, even, just given away !!
case in point the: THE NY ART BOOK FAIR – EXHIBITOR’S CATALOG – designed by GARRICK GOTT, published by PRINTED MATTER, and free for the taking !!
A beautiful little book, the size of a postcard and the heft of a small, well, book !! – it was delightful in many ways, from its tactile quality, the weight & feel of the pages, the way it was bound, the HELVETICA font, and the very restricted – yet striking color hues of a contrasting sharp pink outside, and a deep blue on the inside. (I’m feeling like a restaurant critic.) It was extremely functional, durable – and completely useful; a nice resource to look back on, once you got home. The sharp luminous saturated matte pink red color, of the cover – lit up the fair – like tiny twinkling Christmas lites – as they lay freely scattered about – on tables, and carried about – in everyone’s hands !!
adding to the considerable merriment – as this new wave of young artworld afficionados – dug in and stirred up – the fair’s very considerable & totally enjoyable offerings. Their enthusiasm for what they saw – was reflected on the
exhibitors’ friendly, and almost overwhelmed by the crowds – countenances. Everybody must have got on their cell phones and told their friends to get up off their butts, and come on over !!
(a small aside: a lot of people said one of the reasons the fair was so hugely successful this year, was the new venue: the PHILLIPS de PURY auction house’s – huge 3rd floor !! with its broken up, yet large and well-lit, interior space – so it’s interesting to entertain for a moment, the great contrast between the new wave – so upbeat and full of content, with everybody happily swinging shopping bags !! full of treasured goodies for the eye, mind & soul – and the bloodbath that took place there, one week later as the old guard’s so-called ‘CONTEMPORARY’ blue chip auctions !! absolutely failed – with over 40% of the first evening’s offerings unsold, and people walking around stunned, and disturbed – like zombies – clueless. The high end production catalogs – weren’t even worth the paper they were printed on. (usually they are sought-out collector’s items !!) and, it wasn’t just PHILLIPS, it was the blue chip secondary market in general. SOTHEBY’S & CHRISTE’S too. and, yo !! give credit where credit is due – PHILLIPS is the most forward-looking, and artist-friendly of the auction houses – I mean, come on – they were huge sponsors of this, the 3rd ANNUAL NY ART BOOK FAIR, and they provided the great venue !! right smack in the heart of Chelsea. TEKSERVE was also a proud sponsor of the fair. . . . It’s the just the contrast between the old guard of so-called art patrons – vs. the bright new wave – that’s so painful to watch. pull that old crusty scab off – and let the new DNA – see the sun’s daylight !!
we got to peek into the shopping bag of a young fair goer. a recent GRAPHIC DESIGN major from SVA !!
THE NY ART BOOK FAIR catalog – was at the top of the pile & she had five of them !! cost: FREE !!
they were actually tons of them spilling out everywhere – you could have grabbed 10,
and it would have been – ok.
the catalog, designed by GARRICK GOTT – was way more than meets the eye – it was kind of the visual
equivalent of a HAIKU and an amuse buche all – rolled into one – in fact, it was kind of a toy.
it went from pink to blue & back again – in the blink of an eye.
and it had that great HELVETICA font – that the SAGMEISTER / DEITCH SHOW, obliquely brought to our attention
because of his participation in the short brilliant film of the same name – ‘HELVETICA’ – hero font of the truly modern, or is that – contemporary – urban city.
it was fun to try and find the ‘tipping’ point, from pink to blue.
what’s that grid underneath ?
a knitting pattern chart !!
Charted Patterns for / SWEATERS THAT TALK BACK – LISA ANNE AUERBACH !!
and, as it turns out – quite open to interpretation – for a KNITTING BOOK !!
. . . when there’s nothing left to burn, you’ve got to / set yourself on fire.
OBAMA 2008 – LISA ANNE AUERBACH
YES WE CAN – LISA ANNE AUERBACH
‘Charted Patterns for SWEATERS THAT TALK BACK’ BY LISA ANNE AUERBACH. $15
PUBLISHED BY PRINTED MATTER NYC 2008.
from ONE TALKING BOOK – to – another. must be the season for oracles.
a little crisis – in the air – will do that for ya !!
MELISSA BROWN. limited edition (60) handscreened ‘Tabloid’ deck of playing cards. $30.
PUBLISHED BY PICTUREBOX NYC 2008
just on an impulse – we did decide to give the deck – an impromptu ‘spin’ !!
~found~
~babe~
(OMG – there she is again)
~the QUEEN ~ the grandmother of ROBERT DOWNEY, Jr.~ !!
~snubs~
~the world~
so, that’s: found babe of Robert Downey Jr.’s grandmother snubs world – hey, we’ll take that, and run !!
and it’s even signed by the artist – on the JOKER !!
who says, between his hands: “THE U.S. UNTOLD STORY” !! !!
if, you could stop STO from driving that CINDERS’ car long enough – you could score his handmade
political diatribe – FREE !!
(whoa – how c-o-o-l – doesn’t the mike look like a heavy-duty assault rifle, under her arm. way to go,
looks like – you’re a gonna need it. )
the sleeper – of the Fair. went right by me. like it was invisible. like a STEALTH FIGHTER !!
believe it was so designed to be, too !! invisible.
but it was one UFO / STARSHIP !! sighting !!
. . . for those who caught it !!
Raq Media Collective / THE SURFACE OF EACH DAY: QUESTIONS FOR COSMONAUTS
PUBLISHED BY PRINTED MATTER NYC 2008 – FREE !!
This pamphlet is the second of their ‘Artist & Activists’ series.
COPYRIGHT FREE: you are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform this work and to make derivative works.
Design: GARRICK GOTT
can you read that ? it says:
The Surface of Each Day:
Questions for Cosmonauts
Raqs Media Collective
The surface of each day is a different planet.
Cosmonaut, how do you recognize signs of life when you see them on your voyage ?
How do you make sure that you do not mistake the relics of past voyages for the fossils of giants?
and, then – right back to – earth !!
PRINTED PROJECT – ‘the art of living with strangers’ !!
ISSUE: 10 / LOLITA JABLONSKIENE curator/editor
PUBLISHED BY VISUAL ARTISTS IRELAND 2008 – $10
see: printedproject.ie
PRINTED PROJECT – ‘the art of living with strangers’
PRINTED PROJECT – ‘the art of living with strangers’
you could also score the brand new ANP QUARTERLY, flung around by the box full !! FREE !!
ANP QUARTERLY / RVCA / VOLUME 2 / NUMBER 1
FRONT COVER – KAWS photographed by TERRY RICHARDSON. JUNE 2008. BROOKLYN, New York.
detail. inside front cover/SPREAD FROM KAWS’ sketchbook.
ANP QUARTERLY.
The issue starts with a photo essay on the MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR & just keeps on going.
the standardly oversize publication, 10-1/2 x 16 in. is always free – if you can find ’em !!
you can also get them by subscription – for a small handing fee.
see: ANPQUARTERLY!
anything else, left in her bag. yep !! of course !!
. . . a signed MICHEL GONDRY COMIC BOOK – $5.99 / FROM PICTUREBOX NYC !!
that’s, what I call: a – real – s-t-e-a-l !!
detail, inside cover / PICTUREBOX PRESENTS
WE LOST THE WAR BUT NOT THE BATTLE – a revengeful story by MICHEL GONDRY
32 PAGES – ALL In COLORS – ‘FRIENDSHIP GOES BEYOND DEATH’ – PUBLISHED BY PICTUREBOX
BROOKLYN NYC – 2008
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: PIX FROM THE NY ART BOOK FAIR – OPENING !!