International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair at The Tetley
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Like books? Like art? You’ve come to the right place! This weekend-long fair is an art-and-book-lover’s playground, with over 50 stalls purveying the finest in artistically oriented tomes. Setting up shop are independent publishers from around the UK and beyond these shores, plus international art collectives, such as the whnicPRESS imprint, and even individual artists themselves.
Yes, it’s the return of the world-renowned International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – the longest-running artists’ book fair outside London. And as well as providing the perfect opportunity for picking up the latest in artist books, the Fair lets you meet and chat to artists, makers and writers about their process. Who knows, you might even unearth an original artwork or two to make off with.
The Fair marks its 21st anniversary this year, building on humble beginnings in Halifax, so they’ll be cracking open the party poppers and celebrating with soon-to-be-revealed events, including talks and live performances. Since 1997, the Fair has attracted national and international interest, welcoming thousands of visitors to various venues, including at The Tetley, where it is now in its fifth year.
The event is co-curated with PAGES, a Leeds-based audience engagement agency offering an integrated programme of artists’ book-related initiatives. For this year’s Fair, the PAGES team is co-ordinating the appearance of disability arts project Shoddy, along with paperscissorsbook, a touring exhibition showcasing some of the best UK and international artists currently working with paper and the book format today.
Also represented this year and worth sniffing out is Longbarrow Press, which curates artist/poet collaborations and publishes poetry collections, from traditionally produced hardbacks to handmade editions.
On Saturday, the Fair runs 11am until 5pm and, on Sunday, 11am until 4pm. It coincides with The Hepworth Wakefield’s Print Fair, so schedule in both for an art-filled weekend. Definitely looks good on paper!
