TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2022

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 12^th TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR (below, TABF) at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from Thursday, October 27 to Sunday, October 30, 2022 over a span of four days. This year’s fair features a lineup of approximately 200 different exhibitors – a collective of publishers, galleries, and artists each involved in creating their own unique art books and publications. At the fair, guests and exhibitors can connect in person and engage in discourse about the allure and charm of each of their creations. This year’s TABF will also be home to the sixth rendition of the Guest Country project – an endeavor that draws attention to the culture of publishing within a certain region or country. This year’s “Guest Country” will be France, and at the TABF we will be taking a multifaceted dive into the country’s rich tradition of art publishing through exhibits and other projects. Other notable undertakings include a lineup of special exhibitions by Bottega Veneta and Shiseido, together with a program shining light on risograph works – an artform quickly gathering attention in the art book scene as of late. Adding to this lineup is our rich repertoire of other events – workshops and talk events with special guests, book signings by artists and creators, and much more. Through this collection of art-book-focused endeavors, it’s our hope at the TABF to provide guests with a glance into the “now” of the continuously-evolving world of art books.

GUEST COUNTRY vol.6 FRANCE

Guest Country is a regular TABF program that draws attention to the culture of publishing found within a certain country or region – held annually, past Guest Country events have drawn attention to Switzerland, Brazil, Asia (China, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore), the United States, and the Netherlands. For this year and our sixth rendition of the series, we will be delving into the publishing world of France. France boasts a multitude of independent booksellers and publishing entities, which play a crucial role in the country’s culture; as such, books have historically and continue presently to play an important role in the country. The TABF will be diving into the different aspects of this diverse and unique culture of publications through a series of seven exhibitions, talk events, workshops, and more.

Exhibition: Yvon Lambert : 60 years with Art

Yvon Lambert (b. 1936) was born with a keen eye for beauty. He began his own gallery in Paris in 1967 and has since established himself as a leader in the French contemporary art scene, a role he continues to play to this day. Also a prominent art collector, Lambert opened his private collection to the public in Avignon in 2000 and went on to donate it in its entirety to the French State in 2012, the most important art donation since Picasso in 1974. After 50 years of exhibiting the most significant artists of the 20th and early 21st Century, he closed his gallery in 2014 in hopes of creating a more intimate space: a bookshop, exhibition space, and publishing house in Paris' beloved third arrondissement.

From the beginning of his career, Lambert understood the importance of publishing art, from artists' books by Lawrence Weiner and Sol Lewitt in the 1970s to limited edition "bibliophilie" created in close collaboration with artists such as Louise Bourgeois, On Kawara, Christian Boltanski, and Giuseppe Penone. His current publishing program consists of poetry collections, photography books, and artists' prints. For this year’s TABF, we will delve into the history and evolution of the French art book scene through Yvon Lambert's influence from the 1960s to the present.

Exhibition: “Bouquinistes”

In order for guests to really get a grasp of the diversity and individuality that defines art books from France, the TABF venue will be featuring a number of highly-specialized “book stores' modeled after the bouquinistes in Paris. Bouquiniste refers to the street stalls lining Paris’s streets selling secondhand books, posters, postcards, and other printed matters – the stalls sitting along the banks of the Seine is one of Paris’s most quintessential sights. Here the bouquinistes come to life at the TABF, where experts in art, illustration/comics, photography, street art, picture books, food, and other various genres come together to curate their own “book stores” in the fair venue.

Curators
Photography: Emilie Lauriola（sasori books)
Illustration & Comic: Séverine Bascouert, Sammy Stein （artst, LAGON）
Street: Thibault Choay（CLASSIC）
Vintage: Marco（Bouquinistes）
Mode: BIEF

Exhibition: Kids’ Reading Room

Kid’s Reading Room where artistic picture books from France and Japan will be available for a read is the first TABF project targeting children. As part of “Des livres à soi'' project from one of the largest French book fairs for illustrated books and children’s literature, “Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse Seine-Saint-Denis,” playful and creative picture books from France gather here alongside illustrated books by Japanese creators close to TABF, and invite us to the joy of reading. Furthermore, by making use of TABF’s original “ART BOOK VENDING MACHINE” (ABVM) selling a selection of art books and zines, we provide a unique encounter to picture books. During the book fair, we are also organizing workshops for parents and children conducted by the French illustrated book authors, Lucie Felix and Adrien Parlange.

With Support From: Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse Seine-Saint-Denis, BIEF

Exhibition: 72 Saisons à la Villa Kujoyama

As France's leading artist-in-residence institution in Asia, Villa Kujoyama has been welcoming creators of a wide range of disciplines, including crafts, digital arts, visual arts, and performing arts. This year marks the 30th anniversary of its founding in 1992. Villa Kujoyama has continuously established strong relationships with artists, artisans, and institutions that are involved in traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Such achievements have gained the institution fame not only in Japan but also in France, as a pioneering platform for cultural exchange and creative practice for both countries. While bringing inspiration to the previous residents who are, for some of them, world-class artists, Villa Kujoyama provides them opportunities to take a step back and reflect upon their work.

At TABF, we will be showcasing a selection of art books by residents who have stayed at Villa Kujoyama over the past 30 years, along with a commemorative publication (Gallimard) written by nearly 230 contributors recounting its history from its opening to the present. You will also see an exhibition of the works by two creators who previously resided or currently residing at Villa Kujoyama: “Ordinateur” by artist Bady Dalloul (2021 resident), and artworks and collaborative projects by the editor, engraver, and art printing specialist Sébastien Esteban Desplat (2021 resident and currently residing at Villa Kujoyama).

Villa Kujoyama is an institution of the cultural cooperation network of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Operated by the Institut français du Japon, Villa Kujoyama is working closely with Institut français and it’s supported by its main patron the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation.

Institut français du Japon is a cultural institution working under the immediate supervision of the French Embassy in Japan. It was founded in September 2012 with the merge of the French Embassy’s cultural services, the French-Japanese Academy in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kansai (Kyoto/Osaka), and Kyushu (Fukuoka). With the Okinawa (Naha) branch, which has newly joined in 2019, it is now spread over 5 branches (6 cities.) It delivers French classes as a French government official institution and promotes its cultures, philosophy, and education.

Exhibition: agnès b. loves art!

“These works represent life experiences, shared emotions, or a simple connection. How can a work of art capture a feeling and foster a sense of belonging? My aim is not to make these treasures mine, but to take them in, cherish and derive sustenance from them.” agnès b.

Over the years, agnès b. has assembled a major contemporary art collection now comprising nearly 5,000 pieces. Through affinities and encounters with extremely diverse people, groups, and cultures, her collection is one of a kind.

The Point d’Ironie originated following a discussion between agnès b., Christian Boltanksi, and Hans Ulrich Obrist in 1997. Each one is designed by an artist who makes it his own. Given free of charge, the Point d’Ironie is an atypical periodical, distributed in a scattered way – 100,000 copies are spread around the world, available in museums, galleries, book shops, schools, cinemas, and at agnès b. stores worldwide.

Exhibition: Three Star Books, Paris are artworks

Founded in 2007 by Christophe Boutin and Mélanie Scarciglia with Maddalena Quarta overseeing the productions, the Paris-based Three Star Books publishes books and editions for the finest contemporary artists. With the principle, “The Artist is Everything” in mind, their artbooks and editions truly are pieces of contemporary art in the form of a “book.” To them, the definition of a book is constantly changing, and the term “Artist book” is only loosely interpreted to avoid the possible conceptual and physical constraints for the realization of their final product. The publications, made as close as possible to the artists’ visions, are shaped with diverse techniques derived from their accumulated know-how. Such books that have resulted from the exploration of boundless possibilities mesmerize the audience.

At TABF this year, Rafaël Rozendaal’s painting will be daringly displayed as an installation, turning the exhibition space into an art piece. Valuable art books by Maurizio Cattelan, Simon Fujiwara, Ryan Gander, Gabriel Kuri, Jonathan Monk, Rafaël Rozendaall, Mika Tajima, and Rirkrit Tiravanija from our archive will also be on exhibit.

Perrotin Store

Perrotin was founded in Paris in 1990 by French gallerist Emmanuel Perrotin, and following the opening of its Hong Kong space in 2012, it opened galleries in New York in 2013, Seoul in 2016, Tokyo in June 2017, Shanghai in 2018 and Dubai and a second space in Seoul in 2022. Perrotin Store, the gallery’s official bookstore, was also established in Paris and New York, and subsequently Tokyo in 2020. At TABF, Perrotin Store will present selected prints, catalogs, and limited collaboration items by primarily French artists. Corresponding to French artist Lionel Estève's first solo exhibition at Perrotin Tokyo, signed books and posters by the artist will be featured at the booth.

ZINE’S MATE Area

The TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR 2022 exhibitor area is divided into 4 sections. ZINE’s MATE, 1 of 4 areas of the fair, features booths by independent artists and publishers. The name ZINE’S MATE takes from the original name of the TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR held in 2009 as well as the name of the management team at the time.

The ZINE’S MATE section is directed by the editor Kuroki Akira and designed by the art director and graphic designer Akinobu Maeda. For this section, we invited many exhibitors who will be participating in the TABF for their first time, partially as a way to pay homage to our beginnings. Please look forward to finding booths filled with up-and-coming talents and inventive ideas at the ZINE’S MATE section.

※Information regarding workshops, live performances, talk events, and more will be announced on the TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR website.

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