Melbourne Art Book Fair
Melbourne Art Book Fair
in the Great Hall
National Gallery of Victoria
Friday 16th – Sunday 18th March, 2018
Thursday, we installed, and Friday, Saturday, Sunday, from 10am until close, we shuffled, fanned, re-stacked, and re-stocked our zines, artists' books, prints, and collages, in the Great Hall of the NGV as part of the fourth Melbourne Art Book Fair. And Monday, we unpacked our boxes in the quiet of the house, and recalled what was. A familiar ritual, from well-oiled preparation and installation to fair-time hustle-bustle and home-time packing, we have taken part in all four fairs, and hope to do so again next year. Each time, as with exhibitions, the de-install takes an eighth of the time it took to set up, and while the promise of putting your feet up at the end of the fair is pleasing, all work completed, there is a sadness tied to the weariness as you pack away your labour. We enjoyed unfurling our new artists’ book, Paw Pad Path, for you. We were delighted seeing pocket-sized editions of our artists’ books, currently on display at State Library Victoria, flutter in your hands, new home bound. When all the effort has been put away, it is the people we shared the fair with, both sides of the stall, who we recall. Thank-you. All of you.
Here, in long standing tradition, is a visual summation of what was. We launched three new zines at the fair, Paw Pad Path (a facsimile of the artists’ book), Looped, and Your gelatine silver print, in the shape of the full moon, and they will soon be available through our online store.
Image credit: Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, Paw Pad Path (detail), 2018
