© Frankfurter Buchmesse
Photo: Ursula Assmus, © Frankfurter Buchmesse
© Sissi Augustin
The Frankfurt Buchmesse is taking place for the 75th time this year. From 18 to 22 October (initially for trade visitors, Friday from 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday for all interested parties), German and international trade and general-interest publishers will once again be presenting themselves in the exhibition halls. With Slovenia as guest of honour, the focus is on a fascinating country with a long literary tradition. Authors from all over the world will present their books; information and discussion will take place at numerous events, and cultural-political debates will once again be held in the “Frankfurt Pavilion” on the Agora, which has won prizes for its architecture. Beyond the exhibition grounds, there will be further readings in selected locations in the city as part of BOOKFEST. And those who would like to engage in virtual worlds can use a smartphone camera and the AR application by the Berlin software start-up ZAUBAR to transform the Frankfurt Messeturm into an oversized pile of books and, with a bit of luck, win a stack of the latest new publications.
The Most Beautiful German Books
Whether it’s a rhinoceros in cyan tones hiding in light-dark contrasting living spaces, letters from the art and literature scene of the 1970s between two inky blue mottled book covers or precisely drawn insects on heavy paper – anyone interested in graphic design and book design will find plenty of inspiration again this year in the “Most Beautiful German Books” competition. An exhibition at the Book Fair (Hall 3.1, K97) will feature the 25 award-winning “Most Beautiful German Books 2023”, which impressed the jury with their design, printing, production and concept. This year, the “Prize of the Stiftung Buchkunst”, endowed with 10,000 euros, was awarded to the artist’s book “Shell Reader” published by Nina Canell and Robert Watkins (Verlag BOM DIA BOA TARDE BOA NOITE, Berlin), which was created in connection with artist Nina Canell’s installation in the Berlinische Galerie, where several tons of shell pieces covered the floor of the exhibition space. In addition to the award-winning books, copies of the shortlist and longlist, the promotional prizes for young book design and the award-winning books of the “Best Book Design from all over the World 2023” competition, among others, will also be on display.
Portikus Art Book Festival. Saša Mighty HOW(EVER)
Parallel to the book fair, the “Portikus Art Book Festival” is taking place under the title “Saša Mächtig. HOW(EVER)”, the “Portikus Art Book Festival” is taking place. The multi-day annual event has set itself the task of celebrating publishing as an extension of artistic practice and providing insights into contemporary approaches to bookmaking and art publishing. The title HOW(EVER) pays homage to the magazine of the same name, founded by poet Kathleen Fraser (1935 to 2019) in San Francisco in the 1980s, which formed a platform that championed the work of women writers. At the centre of this year’s presentation is the emblematic “K67 Kiosk” from 1966 by Saša J. Mächtig, a key figure in Slovenian industrial design and architecture. In an installation around a restored K67 kiosk, a curated selection of around 100 artists’ books and publications will be exhibited and available for purchase, along with a limited edition of merchandise designed by the Amsterdam-based design trio “Experimental Jetset”.
Women of DDC Book Tasting
On 18 October from 3 pm, the „Women of DDC Book Tasting“ will take place at the Hessian Creative Industries stand. The makers and moderators of the “DDC Women’s Table” Judith Augustin and Sophie Dobrigkeit will interview exceptional designers and authors such as Antonia Henschel, Barbara Glasner, Gerda Breuer and Katja Lis as well as Susanne Stöck and Daniela Hartmann about current trends and positions in book design.
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