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The result of a series of discussions on the growing role of poetry in contemporary artistic practices, the exhibition Des mots et des mondes considers writing as a plastic material in its own right.

These will be displayed in vitrines (selected double-page spreads) as part of the exhibition:
Guy de Cointet, Marcel Broodthaers, Robert Filliou, Gloria Glitzer, Robert Groborne, William Kentridge, Stéphane Le Mercier, Lee Lozano, Annette Messager, Michalis Pichler, Guy Rambouts, Hubert Renard, Anne Rochette, Darja Shatalova, Ieva Stankuté, Lalie Thiebaut-Maviel & Maéva Prigent, and Egon Van Herreweghe.

Faced with a constant flow of information, artists do not seek to say more, but to say things differently, through sensitive, unique and contextualised forms. Words then become vectors of personal or collective emancipation, embodied in assemblages, positionings, semantic shifts and resolutely poetic reconfigurations.

Drawing on works from the collections of Beaux-Arts de Paris, contemporary creations and the work of students and teachers, Des mots et des mondes questions the power of words in the construction of narratives, knowledge and imaginations. While words can name, classify and order reality, they are also capable of shifting and transforming it, opening up new possibilities. The exhibition follows a movement from classification to speculation, from inherited frameworks – scientific, colonial, religious or institutional – to marginalised, rewritten or reinvented narratives. 

Far removed from a linear and stabilised history of art, artists investigate, collect, recompose and invent: words become tools for bringing fragmented memories and marginalised subjectivities to the fore. From crisis to utopia, from history to individual trajectories, from reality to imagination, the exhibition reveals words as places of tension, but also as spaces for sharing, bringing hope and emancipation. Poetic, manifestos or fragile, words to connect, build community, transmit, fight.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication, a programme of events and a study day to be held on Wednesday 20 May 2026.

CURATION

Mélanie Bouteloup and Armelle Pradalier, jointly responsible of the « Artistes & Métiers de l’exposition » programme.

With the participation of students from the programme : Jeyni Ba, Louise Baranger, Mickaël Berdugo, Clémence Carel, Jules Charabouska, Armel Cotinat-Flynn, Sybille de Roquemaurel, Maeva Delettre, Eve Farache, Rafael Garcia Lara, Lucie Gholam, Sacha Kheireddine, Albane Liébel, Joséphine Loembe, Arthi Pauly Bertonneau, Laura Rutishauser, Tara Sammouri, Becem Sediri, Suzanne Vallejo Gomez, Léa Zarrad.

Scientific coordination for collections : Estelle Lambert, curator of prints and manuscripts at Beaux-Arts de Paris.

Associate lecturers : Anne Bourse, Stéphane Calais, Claude Closky, Julien Creuzet, Tristan Garcia, Jean-Yves Jouannais, Emmanuel Van der Meulen, Bruno Perramant et Chloé Quenum.

Thanks to the teams at the Beaux-Arts de Paris contemporary art library for their help in selecting artists' books, especially Amel Hamidou for her valuable advice.

WITH THE ARTISTS 

Mayssa Abdelaziz, Youssef Abdelké, Amal Abdenour, Shafic Abboud, Tassiana Aït-Tahar, Hala Alabdalla, Himat M. Ali, Shakir Hassan Al Said, Chadine Amghar, Xavier Antin, Pseudo-Aristote, Claude Aveline, Omar Ba, Babi Badalov, Carlotta Bailly-Borg, Francis Barlow, Antoine-Louis Barye, William Basseux, Pietro Bertelli, Judith Blum Reddy, Alexander Boghossian, Salomé Botella, Jules Bourgoin, Anne Bourse, Myriam Boukrit, Yassin Bouzid & Mohamed Sadk Kaffel, Rodolphe Bresdin, Marcel Broodthaers, Stéphane Calais, Saul Calcagni, Ferdinand Carlier, Minna Castrén, Henri Chetaille, Claude Closky, Guy de Cointet, Lucas Cranach l’Ancien, Julien Creuzet, Bady Dalloul, Honoré Daumier, Odonchimeg Davaadorj, Isaac de Crécy, Brune de Soto, Li Deshayes-Parré, Céleste Desplanche, François Desprez, Idriss Diabaté, Georgette Diallo, Ndidi Dike, Fringues de Dingues, Dornac, Clara Duflot, Dizy Durand-Gnougnou, Claudine Eizykman, Irène Fanshawe, Nicolas Faubert (Kryzastylz), Lucy Citti Ferreira, Robert Filliou, Brandon Gercara, Adolphe Giraudon, Gloria Glitzer, Cléopatra Gones, Cily Gonzalez, Jean-Jacques Grandville, Juliette Green, Joseph Grigely, Robert Groborne, Guichoune de Berroeta, Abraham Hadad, Te Ata Hapaitahaa-Conroy, Adam Henein, Christine Herzer, Katsushika Hokusai, Daniel Hopfer, Anna Jaccoud, Jean-Yves Jouannais, William Kentridge, Manabu Kōchi, Ndayé Kouagou, Elie Laflorencie, Christian Lattier, Jules Laurens, Lou Le Forban, Maëlle Lucas-Le Garrec, Stéphane Le Mercier, Seulgi Lee, Anouk Léger, Lucille Leger, Htein Lin, Lee Lozano, Pierre Loti, Prosper-Georges-Antoine Marilhat, Léonard Martin, Raban Maur, Soanie Marie-Rose, Lydia Matiegou-Keïta, Chloé Menous, Annette Messager, Dimitri Milbrun, Nuria Mokhtar, Bruno Perramant, Mathis Pettenati, Michalis Pichler, Clarisse Pillard, Giovanni-Battista Piranesi, Marius Plaksine, Monique Poncelet, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Loïs Rambeau, Guy Rambouts, Soa Ratsifandrihana, Hubert Renard, Anne Rochette, Stéphanie Saadé, Nadia Saïkali, Clément Schaab, Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, Pascal Sébah, Vega Serafina, Cécil Serres, Darja Shatalova, Wanrong Song, Camille Soualem, Daniel Spoerri, Lorenz Stoër, Ieva Stankuté, Christine Sun Kim, Antoni Tàpies, Colombes Thaller, Lalie Thiebaut-Maviel & Maéva Prigent, Théodore Valério, Lê Văn Đê, Egon Van Herreweghe, Cecilia Vicuña, Adrianna Wallis, Hans Weigel l'Aîné, Dominique Willoughby, Jacques Yankel, Pan Yuliang, Mia Yu, Ossip Zadkine, Radouan Zeghidour.

With the support of Société Générale. 
Graphic design : Halldora Magnusdottir

Born from artist-run culture and the self-publishing scene, the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair (KLABF) gathers and fosters individual artists, illustrators, designers, independent publishers, writers, photographers, institutions, and printmakers, who create distinctive art books and prints. Open to the public, the fair will feature a roster of exciting programs including talks, and workshops that will provide a public space for sharing, discussion, and collaboration.

Initiated by STUDIO150 in partnership with BANGKOK CITYCITY GALLERY since 2017, BANGKOK ART BOOK FAIR (BKKABF) is a biennial event aimed to bring together self-publishing and co-creating community to contribute in discovering and exchanging ideas, cultural ideals, and artistic aspirations.

Opening/ Thu. Sep. 4, 18 - 21 hr 
Opening night reading at 19 hr with Anke Dyes, Inka Meißner, and Sveinn Fannar Jóhannsson. 

Quotes about Books from Books about Books is an artists’ book, an exhibition, and a library of books about books, including periodicals, journals, exhibition catalogues, zines, monographs, and artists’ books spanning 1974–2025. Edited and compiled by Sveinn Fannar Jóhannsson, the project presents 148 quotes, drawn from his archive of printed matter, that reflect on the book as medium, material, and metaphor. The accompanying exhibition makes each source publication physically accessible to visitors—creating a participatory experience that mirrors the democratic ethos of independent publishing. 

Historically, publishing has allowed artists to reclaim control over their work and operate outside commercial or institutional frameworks—a tradition this project draws on. By compiling and sequencing excerpts from a broad spectrum of artistic and theoretical publications, it interrogates the formal and conceptual boundaries of print culture and bookmaking. 

The selected quotes address themes such as the economic realities of production, freedom of the press, authorship, and the artist’s book as a political object. The project also considers the book as an exhibition space, an object that resists categorization, and a self-reflexive medium. Some quotes further reflect on the materiality of books in more abstract or experimental terms. At its core, the project engages with long-standing debates around what a book is—or might be—questions that continue to shape contemporary publishing practices. 

Subtitled Revised, Reversed, Revisited Edition, the publication resists conventional ordering, unfolding according to its own internal logic. Through excerpting, recontextualizing, and cataloguing, it explores how books articulate their own conditions of production, distribution, and reception. 

Printed in a limited edition of 555 copies, Quotes about Books from Books about Books—Revised, Reversed, Revisited Edition will be released on 4 September 2025 in conjunction with the exhibition at einBuch.haus in Berlin.

Sveinn Fannar Jóhannsson

Sveinn Fannar Jóhannsson is an artist and self-publisher. Through his imprint Multinational Enterprises (est. 2012), he produces printed matter that examines publishing as artistic practice. His work explores the book as object, archive, and conceptual medium, using systems of categorization and citation to play with the ideological frameworks embedded in print—often with a deadpan sense of humour.

The full list of publications from the book Quotes about Books from Books about Books—Revised, Reversed, Revisited Edition

MISS READ: The Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival returns to Haus der Kulturen der Welt, from June 13 to 15, 2025 with a focus on Ecological Publishing. In its seventeenth year, MISS READ continues to offer a vibrant platform for critical discourse, experimental publishing, and independent artistic practices. Over 300 exhibitors from 50 countries form one of the largest and most international gatherings for independent publishing worldwide.

Founded in 2009, MISS READ is Europe’s leading event for artists’ books, conceptual publications, and publishing as artistic, political, and poetic practice. MISS READ’s mission entails fostering global bibliodiversity, nurturing creative ecosystems and pushing the frontiers of publishing.

The 2025 list of exhibitors can be found here.

The seventeenth edition of MISS READ introduces a special focus on Ecological Publishing and Ecologies of Publishing. Globalization has led to the widespread adoption of Western societal models, extractivism, and platform industries, including the inherent unsustainability of publishing economies. The environmental movements, which have been gaining strength in recent decades, seek not only to counter the threat of ecological collapse, but also to address issues within the arts, economics, and politics. Sustainability and subsistence—the place of humans within nature—are pressing issues worldwide.

MISS READ 2025 explores the contours of alternative frameworks—through artistic research, activism, and publishing—that center ecological awareness. From using low-impact printing and supply chains to focusing on environmental themes, many publishers around the world are engaging with ecological questions in innovative and sustainable ways.

In order to redistribute necessary resources towards supporting alternative publishing practices, MISS READ once again awards BIPOC Support Grants to exceptional artists and independent publishers and is delighted to welcome this year’s outstanding recipients: artists collective and archive Grafis Nusantara (Jakarta), publishing initiative Kayfa ta (Amman), publishing and distribution initiative Limestone Books (Maastricht), anti-caste activists Panther’s Paw Publication (Nagpur), and artist-run WAITHOOD Magazine (Maputo).

Highlights of the daily program include:

On Friday, June 13, Philosopher and media theorist Franco “Bifo” Berardi opens the public program with a thought-provoking lecture on chaos, automatons, and the psychosocial unraveling of late capitalism. The pan-African magazine Chimurenga and Berlin-based independent arts collective Nyabinghi Lab present the “Black Ecologies Series,” challenging mainstream ecological discourse by confronting its colonial legacies and exclusion of Indigenous knowledge.

The annual Conceptual Poetics Day on Saturday, June 14, explores the border between visual art and literature. Writer Clara Obligado reads from all that grows: nature and writing, weaving together personal memoir, botanical observations, and reflections on displacement, in conversation with Verónica Stedile Luna (EME Ediciones). A dual book launch by Textem Verlag and Ugly Duckling Presse celebrates Mirtha Dermisache (1940–2012), a trailblazing figure in artists’ books whose radical approach to writing and circulation challenges conventional reading practices. Jhen Chen and Emily Shin-Jie Lee of Limestone Books introduce the “Cross-border Publishing Co-op,” an experimental research initiative building a publishing alliance across Europe and Asia. Focused on non-Western perspectives, it aims to connect small-scale local hubs across borders. Editors Gigi Argyropoulou and Olga Schubert of Ecologies of Instituting and philosopher Bernd Scherer explore how artists, cultural workers, and organizers create alternative institutional ecologies. Alessandro Ludovico presents Tactical Publishing, rethinking the binary of print and digital publishing and advocating for a new ecology of publishing based on the stimulation of our senses, the role of software in the publishing infrastructure, and the importance of archives.

On Sunday, June 15, a joint event by NERO and EECLECTIC reflects on climate-neutral exhibition-making and museums at the ecological turn, with the participation of artist Jumana Manna, whose work critiques extractivism and colonial conservation. Editors Christopher and Kathleen Sleboda of Draw Down Books present A Toolkit for Gathering, a guide book on the importance of gatherings in creative communities. Cthulhu Books and the Institute for Postnatural Studies invite you to a reading from Compost Reader II, exploring the flow of deep reading practices within a framework of interconnected planetary material.

The complete program can be found here.

Pre-fair and radio program
MISS READ 2025 continues its collaboration with Station of Commons, with a pre-fair program taking place from June 10 to 12 at MISS READ Space in Berlin-Wedding, including workshops, sonic experiments, and discussions streamed online and via Cashmere Radio. The broadcasts continue live from HKW during the fair.

The pre-fair and radio program can be found here and here.

Publication
Published on the occasion of Miss Read 2025, the book Reading Ecologies: Transforming Publishing in Africa calls for insurgent publishing, rooted in the political, aesthetic and epistemic struggles of independent publishers from the African continent and diaspora. The book is funded by the Goethe Institute Nigeria in the context of We Make Books, and co-published by Afrikadaa, Miss Readand Mosaïques.

Details on the book can be found here.

MISS READ 2025 team
Founder & Director: Michalis Pichler / Co-Director: Pascale Obolo / Program Manager: Julia Gwendolyn Schneider / Project Manager: Andrei Belibou / Design & Social Media Manager: Maira Fragoso Peña / Production Manager: Winifred Wong / Pre-Fair Co-Curators and Radio Coordinators: Station of Commons, Juan Fortun, Grégoire Rousseau, Eddie Choo Wen Yi, Minerva Juolahti / Press: Nils Philipp Dommert

The poster of MISS READ 2025 is created by Sophie Douala.
The poster of Conceptual Poetics Day 2025 is created by Isabel Reitemeyer.

MISS READ and Conceptual Poetics Day 2025 are funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds.

Special thanks
Yaiza Camps, Mina Comunello, Christos Diamantis, Leyla Dillig, Mustafa Dönmez, Sophie Douala, Esé Emmanuel, Christian Kanschur, Misaki Kawabe, Giorgos Kontopoulos, Lilofee Labes, Eric Otieno Sumba, Arno Raffeiner, Isabel Reitemeyer, George Shumay, Nadine Siegert, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Wanda Spangenberg, Matteo Spanò, Parfait Tabapsi, Judith Wajsgrus, Anne Wesolek.

In 1897, French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé revolutionized the world of graphic design with a single poem that forever changed the way we look at words. His work illustrated how text conveys meaning not only through words, but also as visual symbols that contain a deeper meaning. For over 125 years, artists and writers have continued to explore the mystery of Mallarmé’s poem “Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard” [A throw of the dice will never abolish chance]. This exhibition, curated by Rich Dana, features art, books, and ephemera from the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry that explore the immense influence of “Un coup de dés” since its publication.

1. André Masson
   b. France, 1896–1987
   Selections from Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (1961)
   Paris: Les Amateurs du Livre et de l’Estampe modernes
   Lithograph, edition of 102 copies

2. Stéphane Mallarmé
   b. France, 1842–1898
   “Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard” Published in Cosmopolis magazine, May 1897 London, England

3. Marcel Broodthaers
   b. Belgium, 1924–1976
   Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard: Image (1969)
   Offset printed, edition of 90

4 Michalis Pichler
b. Germany,
Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (SCULPTURE)
Berlin: “greatest hits,” 2008
Edition of 90
Offset and laser gravure, perfect binding

5 Eric Zboya Canada

Vecteur: Un Coup Des Jamais N’Abolira Le Hasard (2010)
Calgary, No Press
Ink on paper, edition of 120

6 Ernest Fraenkel
b. Germany, 1905–?
Les Dessins Trans-conscients de Stéphane Mallarmé: à propos de la Typographie de Un Coup de Dés (1960)
Ink on paper

7.  Johanna Drucker
b. USA, 1952–
Heavy Breathing (1991) Vellum, lead, wood

8. Johanna Drucker
The Word Made Flesh (1989) Letterpress

9. Brian Coffey (translator)
   Dice Thrown Never Will Annul Chance (1965) Dublin, Ireland: Dolmen Press

10.   Daisy Aldan (translator)
    Un Coup de Dés Jamais N’Abolira Le Hasard (1956)
    New York: Tiber Press

11 Robert Greer Cohen (dissertation)
Mallarmé’s Un Coup de Dés: an exegesis (1949) New Haven, Connecticut: Yale French Studies, Yale University Press

12 Wolfram Eber (translator)
Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard / Ein Wurfelwurf (1980)
Munich, West Germany: D.P. Druck und Publikation

13. Augusto de Campos
    b. Brazil, 1931–
    P.O.W.: expoems. No.7 (2012) Digital print

14. Augusto de Campos Mallarmé (1974)
    Offset printed, first edition

15. Jirí Hynek Kocman
    b. Czech Republic, 1947–
    Reduced E.A. Poe’s The Raven No. o99 (1984) Handmade paper, blind embossed

16. Edgar Allan Poe (French translation by Emile Hennequin, ill. by Odilon Redon)
    Contes grotesques / par Edgar Poe (1882)
    Paris: P. Ollendorff, 2nd edition

    Mabbott Poe Collection [PS2604.F5 H45 1882], Special Collections and Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

17. T. S. Eliot

    b. USA, 1888–1965

    From Poe to Valery (1948)

    New York: Harcourt, Brace

    x-Collection [PS2636 .E4], Special Collections and Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

18.  Edgar Allan Poe (French translation by Stéphane Mallarmé ; ill. by Édouard Manet) The raven = Le corbeau : poem (1978 edition) New York: Pilgrim Press Corp.

19. Nelson Howe “Fur Music”

    Source: Music of the Avant Garde. No.9 (1971) Offset printed, synthetic fur, includes two 33rpm vinyl records

20. Jim Clinefelter b. USA, 1958–

    A Throw of the Snore Will Surge the Potatoes: John M. Bennett meets Stéphane Mallarmé (1998) Laser print on paper

21. Poojana Prasanna
    b. India, 1998–
    UN COUP DE EH?? (2023) Photocopied zine

22. D. J. Kime
    b. USA, 1993–

    The Loneliest Dice (2023) Laser print on paper, 2 copies

23. Margaret Yapp b. USA, 1993–

    Green for Luck (2024)
    Rochester, Massachusetts: EastOver Press; on loan from Rich Dana

24. Albert Dupont
    b. France, 1951–
    Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard / Désir- hasard-dés (1995–2000)
    Wooden box, folio, printed works, screen print on transparent polyester; edition of 41 copies SACKNER [N7433.4. D86 M23 1999]

25.   John Furnival
    b. UK, 1933–2020 Hommage a Mallarmé (1993) Ink on paper

26.  Tom Phillips
    b. UK, 1937–2022
    A Throw of Dice Will Never Do Away with Chance (2003)
    Acrylic cube

27. Tom Phillip
    The Limits of My Language Are the Limits of My World (1999)
    Acrylic cube

     

28. Mitsou Ronat
    b. France, 1946–1984
    Tibor Papp
    b. Hungary, 1936–2018
    Selections: Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (1980)
    Offset printed folio, edition of 48 copies

     

29. Reinhold Nasshan
    b. Germany, 1949–
    Würfelwurf: Fragmentarische Annäherung an Stéphan Mallarmé (Dice Roll: Fragmentary Approach to Stéphane Mallarmé) (1992) Letterpress

30. sadé powell
    b. USA, 1993–

    wordtomydead (2023) Laser print on paper

31. Emily McVarish b. USA, 1965– Was Here (2001) Letterpress

32. Wendy Wischer
    b. USA, 1971–
    A Bend in the River (2006) Painted wood (1,000 letters, punctuation marks, and six fish)

33. Astrid Furnival
    b. Germany, 1940– Un coup de dés (1987) Sweater, hand-knitted

34. Astrid Furnivalb. Germany, 1940– John Furnival b. UK, 1933–2020
    Lady Midnight (1991) Collage mannequin

35. John Giorno
    b. USA, 1936–2019
    Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Rainbow (1973) Silkscreen on paper

36. Emily McVarish
    b. USA, 1965–
    Thick As Walls Line (1996) Mixed media

37. Elisabetta Gut
    b. Italy, 1934–
    La Plume de Poete (1989) Assemblage

38. Amanda Berenguer
    b. Uruguay, 1921–2010 Mar (1976)
    From Composicion de Lugar Silkscreen print

39. Amanda Berenguer
    Luz (1976)
    From Composicion de Lugar Silkscreen print

     

40. Mikhail Tarkhanov
    b. Ukraine 1888–1962 MIMITA (1914)
    Ink on paper

41. Mikhail Tarkhanov AXAXAXA (1914) Ink on paper

42. Michalis Pichler
    b. Germany, 1980–
    Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (SCULPTURE)
    Berlin: “greatest hits,” 2008 Laser-etched plexiglass

    Hanging above in the gallery you will discover a three-dimensional approach to “Un coup de dés” created by Berlin artist Michalis Pichler. The piece is based on the Marcel Broodthaers 1969 blacked-out version of the poem, which is also on display in this exhibit. Pichler reiterates the visual aspect of Mallarmé’s typography by laser etching the text blocks into plexiglass panels, which invites the viewer to further explore the interaction of the positive and negative space.

43. Lauren Coghlan
    b. USA
    Un coup de dés (2025) Vinyl

    Around the perimeter of the gallery is the entire English translation of Mallarmé’s “Un coup de dés.” Made by University of Iowa Libraries creative coordinator Lauren Coghlan, this installation piece features over 185 feet of black vinyl letters along with red circles that indicate the line breaks in the poem.

View full catalogue

Welcome to the annual get-together of publishers and independent publishing projects at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig. The fair is a marketplace for publications of the most diverse kinds as well as ideas and debates. It’s a space that is open to all.
Our website is a growing platform and we look forward to welcoming many publishers with their projects. All interlinked parts of the fair are represented here: book fair, publishing projects, symposium, and own printed matter.

An event of the open book society e.V. in cooperation with the HGB Leipzig. Co-financed by the tax funds on the basis of the budget passed by the members of the Saxon State Parliament.

The exhibition “German Book Store,” which offers a glimpse into the contemporary art book scene in Germany, will be a showcase of art books and zines selected by Stefan Marx, Tenko Nakajima, Studio Yukiko, do you read me?! and Michalis Pichler. This selection, made from different vantage points of innovative creatives, will create an opportunity for visitors to experience the diversity of German art books and zines.

Stefan Marx is a German contemporary artist recognized for his distinctive line drawings, typeworks and artist books. Born in 1979, Marx draws heavily from subcultures such as music, zine making and changing environments by traveling, often infusing his work with a whimsical yet thought-provoking quality. His drawings revolve around simple yet expressive linework paired with handwritten text, frequently offering humorous or reflective commentary on our lifes. In addition to his work on paper and canvas, Marx is deeply involved in zine and artist book culture, creating numerous self-published artist books and collaborating with independent publishers and galleries. His collaborations extend to the fashion world, with brands like Comme des Garcons and The Ennoy Professional, as well as musicians and record labels. Marx's work has been exhibited internationally, from galleries to major art fairs, and he remains an influential figure in blending artistic expression with pop and youth culture influences.

Tenko Nakajima is a German-Japanese curator and gallerist. In 2022, she founded Galerie Tenko Presents, a nomadic gallery dedicated to showcasing both Japanese and international artists through site-specific exhibitions in Tokyo and abroad. By embracing a nomadic model, Nakajima bridges the Japanese and global art scenes, whilst also challenging the conventional model of an art gallery. Her recent exhibitions feature artists, including Billy Coulthurst, Coumba Samba, Raiki Yamamoto, Morag Keil, Nicolas Ceccaldi, and Thomas Capdeville. She has also taken part in art fairs, such as Art Collaboration Kyoto 2024, where she presented works by Klara Liden, Peter Fischli, Emily Sundblad, and Alan Michael and Material 2024.

Studio Yukiko is a Berlin-based creative agency founded by Michelle Phillips and Johannes Conrad, specializing in creative direction, art direction, brand strategy, concept generation and graphic design for commercial and cultural clients alike. The studio produces award-winning work, unearthing narratives, telling stories of local communities worldwide, and immerses themselves in the trends of internet and youth culture. With its research arm, Yukiko continually experiments with contemporary forms of visual storytelling and fosters a deeper understanding of the audiences with which its projects engage. Yukiko’s work has been awarded by D&AD, ADC Germany, TDC New York and Lead Awards, among others.

Founded in Berlin in 2008, do you read me?! is an internationally renowned haven for book and magazine enthusiasts. The little shop boasts an inspiring curation of printed matter, catering to the diverse tastes of print aficionados. From publications on art, photography, design and typography to fashion, architecture, literature, music, film and food, do you read me?! offers a captivating panorama of contemporary independent publishing.

Michalis Pichler, Self-portrait as someone else, 2023, Oil on Canvas, 67 x 80 cm (twice)

The painted book in front of the painted mirrow features another Self-portrait as someone else. In this case, presumably Cavafy.

Michalis Pichler is an artist primarily operating independent from the commercial gallery system, and a founder and director of Miss Read and Conceptual Poetics Day. He has published numerous bookworks, uses canvases as pages for art works (and vice versa), and has invented rectoverso collage and objet perdu.
Recently co-edited books include Decolonizing Art Book Fairs (Afrikadaa/Mosaiques/Miss Read, 2021) and WAVES: Radio as collective Imagination (Miss Read, 2024). Recently edited books include IDEA POLL (Miss Read, 2021) and Coup de Dés (Collection)-Books and Ideas after Mallarmé (Spector Books/Center for Book Arts, 2024). A monograph of his practice was co-published by Spector Books and Printed Matter, Inc.

On occasion of the 14th edition of TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR (“TABF”), set to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from November 28 (Thu) to December 1 (Sun), Miss Read Posters from 2009-2024 will be shown.

MISS READ: The Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival 2024 takes place annually in Berlin. In 2024 it hosted over 340 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, consolidating its position as one of the largest and most diverse global art book fairs with an unparalleled breadth of international representation. Founded in 2009, MISS READ is dedicated to building a community and creating a public meeting place for discourse around artists’ books, conceptual publications and publishing as artistic and political practice.

A new poster of Miss Read is created every year by another artist: Miss Read posters have been created by Aziza Ahmad, Natalie Czech, Maira Fragoso Peña, Karl Holmqvist, Åse Eg Jørgensen, Achim Lengerer, Michalis Pichler, rakete/Erik Steinbrecher, Jay Ramier, Cia Rinne, and Lawrence Weiner.

Besides posters, the exhibition “MISS READ posters &, from 2009-2024" will feature a handful of video interviews conducted by Miss Read with protagonists in the field of publishing as artistic practice, and also books published by Miss Read. Among them will be "Decolonizing Art Book Fairs" and "Publishing Manifestos", part of which is being translated in Japanese on the occasion of Tokyo Art Book Fair 2024.

Dates: 12:00-19:00, November 28 (Thu), 2024
11:00-18:00, November 29 (Fri) – Decemer 1 (Sun), 2024
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Address: 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0022
Official website: https://tokyoartbookfair.com/en/

The 14th edition of TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR (“TABF”) is taking place at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from November 28 (Thu) to December 1 (Sun).

Dates: 12:00-19:00, November 28 (Thu), 2024
11:00-18:00, November 29 (Fri) – Decemer 1 (Sun), 2024
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Address: 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0022
Official website: https://tokyoartbookfair.com/en/

MISS READ: The Berlin Art Book Fair & Festival 2024 takes place from October 11–13 at HKW (Haus der Kulturen der Welt), hosting over 340 exhibitors from more than 50 countriesconsolidating its position as one of the largest and most diverse global art book fairs with an unparalleled breadth of international representation. The full list of all exhibitors can be found here.

Founded in 2009, MISS READ has become integral to the international art publishing landscape. It provides a forum for dialogue on artists’ books and publishing as artistic and political practice. The festival’s mission embraces global bibliodiversity, nurturing creative ecosystems and pushing publishing’s frontiers.

MISS READ’s cornerstone philosophy of Decolonizing Art Book Fairs was part of several years of collective efforts and together with curator Anguezomo Nzé Mba Bikoro and co-director Pascale Obolo now introduces Afro-feminist and Queer Voices, genealogies in lesser-known parts of German history, charting different mo(ve)ments through music, literature and film that connect with the lineage of Black cultural and queer activists of the last 70 years. The festival provides a space to examine Afro-feminist legacies through panel talks, music performances, film screenings and workshops. With contributions from Mame-Fatou Niang, Natasha A. Kelly, Peggy Piesche, Ndeye Fatou Kane, String Archestra, Marianne Ballé Moudoumbou, Yezenia León Mezu, Jennifer Kamau, Savanna Morgan, House of Living Colours, Maimouna Coulibaly, Stefanie-Lahya Aukongo, Chantal-Fleur Sandjon, Mmakhotso Lamola, Mihret Kebede, Aline Benecke, FrauHerr Meko, DJ Njeri and many others.

MISS READ once again awards its BIPOC Support Grant to exceptional artists and small and upcoming independent publishers. We are honoured to recognize this year’s outstanding recipients: House of INVADE- (Johannesburg), 24˚36˚ (London), aka TAWLA (Southwest Asia and North Africa region), B and D Press (Montreal), and Reliable Copy (Bangalore).

The annual Conceptual Poetics Day on Saturday explores the imaginary border between visual art and literature. Conceptual artist Adrian Piper whose work addresses themes of race, gender, and identity, has created the poster for Conceptual Poetics Day. Her involvement aligns with the fair’s focus on Afro-Feminism, as Piper’s art challenges social norms and encourages viewers to confront their prejudices.

Some highlights of the daily programme include:

On Friday, October 11: The panel “Who will still recognise them when the earth shakes on the last day: On Afro-feminist genealogies” with participants Mame-Fatou Niang, Natasha A. Kelly, Peggy Piesche and Ndeye Fatou Kane and moderator Anguezomo Nzé Mba Bikorointroduces the focus theme of this year’s edition of MISS READ and explores the life, activism and legacy of Liberian-German singer-songwriter Fasia Jansen and her influence on German Afro-feminism. The stage program concludes with a concert by String Archestra.

Starting at 9pm, the opening party will kick off this year’s edition of MISS READ with DJs Gayture, DJ Njeri and Radio Nopal. Dance, mingle and toast to the start of another vibrant and exciting edition of the fair and festival.

On Saturday, October 12: Paul Wood in conversation with his publisher Sezgin Boynik ofRab Rab Press, presents Biting the Hand: Traces of Resistance in the Art & Language Diaspora, a book that tells the story of a dissident formation of artists active in the UK in the 1970s and 80s.

Archival Textures conducts “A Conversation on Publishing Archival Traces of Transnational Queer Feminist Solidarity” with Tamara Hartman and Tabea Nixdorff exploring queer feminist archives. A special focus will be set on the most recent publication Republishing: Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant, a book that derived from the Black Women’s Magazine Umoja, published between 1985 and 1986 in Arnhem, the Netherlands.

“Make A Zine With Your Ex: Overview and Workshop of Break-Up Zines”: MISS READ’s last year BIPOC award winner Arantza Peña Popo together with Anthi Sklavenitis conducts this workshop: Breakups are cruel, universal parts of our lives that often fuel the very zines that we pick up at art book fairs. During the workshop, in a collaborative experience, participants will create their own breakup zines through randomly selected prompts and ideas to interrogate their breakups, whether romantic or platonic.

A roundtable under the title “To the furthest edge where our freedom begins: Afro-feminist collective struggles” with Marianne Ballé Moudoumbou,Yezenia León Mezu and Jennifer Kamau will discuss how transglobal connections of Black women collectives, despite their differences, contribute to the common and uncommon struggle to redefine Afro-feminism and fight for the liberation of Black women: from the Black women of the Black Panther Party, Combahee River Collective, Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, Riverwood (KEN) to ADEFRA.

On Sunday, October 13: Humdrum Press and the Journal of Aesthetics & Protest celebrate a double book launch with  Utterances: Composing a Care-Informed Research Practice in the Cracks and Promiscuous Infrastructures: Practicing Care in a panel talk headlined “Reading Methodologies for/of Care” and moderated by Amy Gowen, Marc Herbst and Michelle Teran.

Colorama presents “2ly: an exchange of letters of two pairs between London and Leipzig”—a reading and visual showcase of letters exchanged between artist duos in London and Leipzig. Join for selected readings, projections, and a discussion on female* collaborations, design-writing intersections, and shared authorship in contemporary art.

The complete program schedule can be found here.

Collaborative Radio Programme: MISS READ radio X lumbung radio presents the pre-fair program at MISS READ SPACE in Wedding (October 6-10). This week-long event features radio and exciting on-site activities, including workshops, presentations, publisher lectures, book launches, and sound/radio-art performances, streamed live on both websites. lumbung radio activates the space before the HKW fair, inviting international radio actors such as Radio Nopal (MX) and Berlin-based collaborators such as Cashmere Radio and SAVVY Contemporary. The radio programme can be found here.

MISS READ and lumbung radio reflect on radio and audio practices, their infrastructures, modes of collaboration and situated knowledge in written, visual and sonic form in their new publication “Waves: Radio as Collective Imagination”. Details on the book can be found here.

MISS READ 2024 team 
Founder & Director: Michalis Pichler / Co-Director: Pascale Obolo / Focus Co-Curator: Anguezomo Nzé Mba Bikoro / Program Manager: Julia Gwendolyn Schneider / Production Manager: Derya Türkmen / Production Coordinator: Federica Crescenzi / Radio Coordinators: Station of Commons, Grégoire Rousseau, Eddie Choo Wen Yi, Mathilde Palenius/ Design & Social Media Manager: Maira Fragoso Peña / Public Relations & Press: Safia Dickersbach

The poster of MISS READ 2024 is created by Maira Fragoso Peña. The poster of Conceptual Poetics Day is created by Adrian Piper.

MISS READ and Conceptual Poetics Day 2024 are funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds. Station of Commons and lumbung radio are supported by Kone foundation and Culture Moves Europe funded by the European Union.

Special thanks 
Alina Baris, Yaiza Camps, Lale de Boer, Nils-Philipp Dommert, Chiara Figone, Juan Gomez, Moritz Grünke, Misaki Kawabe, Liz Koehnke, Georgios Kontopoulos, Lilofee Labes, Siddhartha Lokanandi, Eric Otieno, Bona-venture Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Essi Pellikka, Adrian Piper, Peter Schmidt, Nadine Siegert, Wanda Spangenberg, Sulti (†) and Parfait Tabapsi

For press inquiries, please contact: press [​at​] missread.com 

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