About
Arts Libris, the Barcelona International Art, Photography and Design Book Fair, continues to grow as it reaches its fourth edition. Over one hundred exhibitors, including art and photography galleries, contemporary bibliophile and photographic book publishers, handmade book workshops, experimental publishing houses, specialised books, colleges of art and design, will come together to exhibit their latest works, projects and publications. Arts Libris has consolidated itself as one of the Europe’s most significant art, photography and design events, equalling the exhibitors and visitor footfall of other more long-standing fairs and even surpassing many.
We have always been driven by the desire to make Arts Libris not just a fair, but a cultural event. This is why we are working on an extensive programme of activities including exhibitions, debates and workshops. This year’s edition is especially dedicated to photography, given the growing interest in this sector within the field of editing, and every photography gallery in the city is taking part. This year, the special guests will be Tacita Dean and Peter Fillingham, as international artists, and America Sanchez as the national one, which will be the president of the jury of prizes to be awarded during the fair, and will perform the graphical image of Arts Libris 2013.
In addition, this year Arts Libris will be occupying the entire Arts Santa Mónica space, with the first two storeys dedicated to exhibitor stands, workshops and conferences, and the third storey dedicated to the exhibition entitled Passant Página. El llibre com a territori d’art, an exhibit dedicated to the history of the artist’s book, curated by Rocío Santa Cruz and Oscar Guayabero. Passant Página is a production of the Department of Creation and Cultural Enterprises of the Generalitat de Cataluña.
We would like to invite a series of international personalities from the world of photography to participate in Arts Libris, to exhibit their work and take part in colloquiums and round tables. Book signing sessions will also be held throughout the Fair with the authors attending the different stands laid out around Arts Libris.
We want Arts Libris to be an event for the general public, celebrated in conjunction with Sant Jordi -St. George’s Day, the patron saint of Catalonia-, which is also Book Day. To participate, we will open up the doors of the Arts Santa Mónica centre onto Las Ramblas, full of books, providing a different vision: if, as Michel Butor claims “the only books that will interest us in the future are those that can be considered works of art”, we will work to make sure the future is full of books and fascinating, pleasurable and stimulating volumes.
