Book.art.est
The year 2025 begins with the launch of the ‘Book.art.est’ cultural project - an international and multidisciplinary exhibition dedicated to the book as an art object.
Ion Puican, 25.01.2025, 14:00
The year 2025 begins with the launch of the ‘Book.art.est’ cultural project – an international and multidisciplinary exhibition dedicated to the book as an art object. The exhibition is hosted by the Calderon Art Studio Gallery in downtown Bucharest, from January 15 until February 8. Andreea-Eliza Petrov, representing the organizers from the Art Cell, spoke to us about the exhibition: “The ‘Book.art.est’ exhibition is an international project dedicated to the artistic book, viewed not only as a text carrier but as a unique art object, inspired by experimental art. This type of book combines visual aesthetics with conceptual approaches, being able to offer viewers an experience that goes beyond classic reading. The public will be able to explore a varied range of interpretations of the concept of the book as an art object here in Bucharest, being invited to look at the book as a complex artistic medium, in an artistic state.”
What is the concept and target of this project? “’Book.art.est’ aims to explore the book as a fundamental component of culture and to highlight its valences as a cultural and aesthetic symbol, stimulating the public’s interest in reading and art, exploring the written text and understanding it as a syncretic expression. The exhibition aims to challenge the public’s perception of what a book means, and also of what art itself means.”
Next Andreea Petrov tells us how we can look at the book from the perspective of the ‘Book.art.est’ exhibition, the book as an art object: “A book is a work of art per se, not just a medium for transmitting information. Its shape is an integral part of its concept, being created for a variety of reasons. Each element, the words, the images, the structure, the printing method, the binding, the materials used, from textiles, paper to marble, for example, even the closing system of the book, all play an important role in conveying the overall message. It is interactive, portable and easy to share. It can be considered a means of making art more accessible to people outside the formal contexts of galleries or museums. This type of book-object has evolved a lot over time, drawing inspiration from avant-garde movements such as Dadaism, Constructivism and Futurism.”
Andreea Petrov also told us about the artists participating in the exhibition and what book-objects they propose: “The exhibition features a variety of artists, painters, sculptors, collage makers, illustrators, printers, writers and poets. ‘Book.art.est’ aims to support the new generations of artists, encouraging the presentation of emerging artists alongside established ones. The artists come from Romania and Poland, the exhibition including works by students of the Academy of Arts in Wrocław. Catching the eye are installations, illustrations, sketchbooks, photo albums, collages, books with different interventions, be they chromatic or collage-type and not only. The curators of the exhibition are Evghenia Gritsku and Daniel Loagăr who are also exhibitors.”
The artists were chosen following an open call for applications. Andreea Petrov from the Art Cell gives us more details: “The open call first of all had a major role in attracting the participating artists, who have a wide range of specializations. The selection of artists was a challenge because the notion of book-object is quite broad. The works of the selected artists include multiple and complex valences of the concept of book as an object, but they are simultaneously and very clearly associated with this concept.”
What other events does ‘Book.art.est’ propose? “Nine related events have been planned within ‘Book.art.est’. They started with a poetry recital on January 15, supported by Dar-avere. Other events include: a conference on Copyright in art, a Dada poetry workshop, a collage workshop, a performance, two masterclasses on public reading and public discourse respectively, community walks with audiobooks and a presentation of book-objects from an editorial perspective.”
The ‘Book.art.est’ project is the beginning of an initiative to promote reading in unconventional ways, an initiative started by the “Macondo” Intermittent Reading Society. Mircea Laslo from the Society spoke to us about this initiative: “The ‘Macondo’ Intermittent Reading Society wishes to make a book club, a different reading club, in which there is no need for predetermined reading lists, deadlines or for people to speak in public and express critical opinions about the book they read. These are all the things that book-club-goers are often looking for, but they are intimidating for many of us. This format associates reading with activities that make us anxious, and we wanted to create a framework for associating reading with every-day things that don’t require planning, that we don’t think about in the same way in which we often approach reading, that is as if it were a much more serious issue than a lot of other things we do every day.” (LS)
