From 22 to 24 November 2024, Fraktalwerk was at artbook.berlin 2024 with Robert Krokowski and Marlen Wagner. About 100 artists, many small publishers and collectives presented their books in the large hall of Kunstquartier Bethanien on Mariannenplatz in Berlin Kreuzberg and on the ground floor. One-offs and small editions, book objects and zines, printed, handwritten, drawn, painted, collaged and folded works. From enchantingly filigree to impressively massive sculptures combining wood and paper – the spectrum was overwhelmingly diverse. After visiting the fair at the latest, many visitors will rethink and redefine their idea of what a book is.

“You don’t have to be a bookbinder, to make a book, you can be anything, it doesn’t matter. You can do anything and call it a book, as long as it has text on it. And it doesn’t even have to have text on it, it can be blank. In fact anything can be a book, except the Rosetta Stone – as I draw the line there because I think a book needs to be portable. Don’t you think? You should be able to carry it around with you.“
(Dominic Riley on July 13, 2015 at the Book Club of California in San Francisco)

Does a book have to be transportable? Perhaps. All those exhibited at artbook.berlin 2024 were. But perhaps a book can also be immobile and remain in the place where it is produced? Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be able to travel to the next artbook.berlin …

Many more photos and the list of all participants can be seen on the artbook.berlin blog.

artbook.berlin is organised by corn.elius brändle (book artist, screen printer and publisher) and Hanneke van der Hoeven (illustrator, book artist and author). Thank you very much for this beautiful fair!