The international fair ArtsLibris has been walking alone for years, already consolidated as a meeting place for all the agents involved in the publication of artist’s books and their public. Although it was born in the Arts Santa Mònica within the program of activities for the day of Sant Jordi, this thirteenth edition is the second to be held independently at the Mercat de Sant Antoni.
The market’s Espai Fossat will host, until Sunday, 105 national and international publishers and artists who will present a wide range of artist publications, self-publishing, photobooks and books on contemporary art and thought. “Throughout these 13 years we have professionalized the sector and created an audience”, declares Rocío Santa Cruz, gallery owner and director of the fair. Beyond the exhibitors, 44 parallel activities will be organized, including workshops, round tables, book presentations, awards or the International Seminar, in this edition dedicated to collecting, which took place last Wednesday at the Palau de la Virreina .
Thus, ArtsLibris has managed to emerge stronger from the pandemic and has recovered its international participants, with a strong Ibero-American and European presence, which represent 8% and 5%, respectively, of the exhibitors and artists. However, it is estimated that 49% of its members come from Barcelona, ??many of whom are museum institutions, while 13% come from the outskirts of the city and 23% from the rest of Spain. Isabel Coixet, Antón Reixa, Eloy Fernández Porta, Isabel Bordes, (director of the Library of the Reina Sofía National Art Center Museum) or Natàlia Chocarro (Vila-Casas Foundation) are some of its participants.
In this sense, it is important that it is located for the second consecutive year in the Mercat de Sant Antoni. “It is an open but useful space to bring culture, art and literature closer,” said this morning the councilor of Commerce, Markets, Consumption, Internal Affairs and Finance of the City of Barcelona, ??Montserrat Ballarín, in the presentation of the fair . In addition, its location allows to establish links with the Sunday Book Market of Sant Antoni, which participates in this fair with six exhibitors.
For his part, Miquel Curanta, director of the Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals (ICEC), has underlined that ArtsLibris is “an instrument that has the capacity to weave international complicity” and has claimed it as “ambassador of our artists and artisans”.
In the course of the event, the creation of the ArtsLibris Award also stands out, which is awarded annually to a publication that connects ideas with visual content and works with innovative formats. Likewise, the art fair format has expanded and has a presence at both ARCOlisboa and ARCOmadrid.
