Amy Hauft
from Printed Matter 1986/87 Catalog
I have been a first-hand witness to the legions of books to come through Printed Matter over the past three years, and it is from this vantage point that I approach my subject: the books that have come to us from Europe. While it seems perhaps a crass Americanism to lump these excessively disparate works together just because they are not made in America, I do believe they share certain affinities.
"A storm in a teacup" is an expression meant to indicate an overreaction - but I am inferring something quite different. A rage of ideas that swirl and collide within an unassuming porcelain teacup suggests exactly these diminutive European books. Most dear to me is the humility with which these books disguise themselves. In almost every case, they look deceptively disarming: paperbacks that would melt into an ordinary bookstore without the slightest effort, yet each is a circulatory dance of ideas nearly impossible to paraphrase. They have the evocative fragrance of a favorite book of poetry. In fact, I think a poetic journey is what they offer.
Europe has a long tradition of artist bookmaking, but even more importantly, an endless romance with the printed page. It is quite common for an artist to produce an image specifically for an exhibition announcement (as opposed to merely reproducing an existing work) and even fairly routine for artists to produce bookworks to accompany shows. It is from this everyday familiarity with the printed format that these unselfconscious works are derived. Innovative format is of little importance, these works exploit the ordinary paperback. At times, this is as deceptively simple as the reproduction of the artists'' notebooks - a sort of non-stop conversation with themselves (without beginning or end, yet invariably suggesting recurring concerns and musings). They seem, somehow, from an age before the telephone; one is reminded of a time when important and unearthly communication took place in letters. At other times, the bookwork''s subject is addressed with more specificity. One seems to get from A to B, but the parenthesis is left open: the nuances are innumerable and the repercussions endless.
There seems to be a host of these books being produced in Germany. I refer specifically to the publications of Rainer Verlag. He has produced a series of books all within the same sized format (each measuring 15 x 10 cm). Their proportions are on such an intimate scale that they seem to bask in a refined delight of their true "pocketbook" size. They have an unmistakable gem-like quality that is hard to resist. Edition Hansjörg Mayer is another German publisher of note. He has been producing the works of Dieter Rot for a great many years. (Again these handsome works combine the regularity of format with innovation in varying contents and contexts). From Britain, I point out the WeProductions publications, as well as the works of the Coracle Press and those from the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Often, the artists'' galleries have offset the publication costs. Graeme Murray Gallery, Anthony d''Offay Gallery, Nigel Greenwood Gallery, Orchard Gallery have histories of sponsoring notable publications.
Also of note is the fact that the vast majority of these books are made by artists who are also involved with other visual art mediums. Theirs is an art that values its viewer. The artist has great respect for the vision that the viewer brings to the work, and the artist is at pains to offer as much freedom and opportunity to the viewer as possible.
So in the end, this essay is simply a testimonial based on my taste. It is with this understanding that I submit the following recommendations. (It is important to acknowledge that they represent only a small portion of the vast commitment lent to the artist book format in Europe.)
European Books: A Selection
Marcel Broodthaers (Belgian) - Un Voyage En Mer Du Nord
Ernst Caramelle (Austrian) - Detail einer Totalansicht
Helen Douglas (English) - Stells
Karl-Heinz Eckert (German) - Tecknings Jursen
Kit Edwardes (English) - 50 True Love Stories
Ian Hamilton Finlay (English) - Talismans and Signifiers
Maurizio Nannucci (Italian) - Sixty Natural Greens
Luigi Ontani (Italian) - Acervus
Giulio Paolini (Italian) -
Tom Phillips (English) - The Heart of a Humument
Markus Raetz (Germany) - N-tizen 1981-82
Dieter Rot (Swiss/Icelandic) - Band 9
Sips and Dierman (Dutch) - Verborgen Rivieren
Stokes and Douglas (English) - MIM
Jan Voss (German) - Turme
In 1986 Amy Hauft was the assistant director of Printed Matter.