Last week, the Berlin Art Book Festival & Fair, MISS READ, was held at the House of World Cultures (HKW). There were 340 exhibitors from 55 countries in attendance. Despite the simultaneous occurrence of the Berlin Marathon, it didn't significantly deter people's enthusiasm for exploring artists' books from around the world.

I am Jae Kyung Kim, the owner and director of einBuch.haus. This is my fifth time participating at Miss Read, but the excitement and adrenaline rush I get entering the fair remains the same. Obviously, I am a participating business owner, but first and foremost, I am a book lover. As a participant at MISS READ, it felt pretty unusual to walk alongside individuals in the corridors vigorously pursuing their own book goals. And just like them, I, too, was on a mission to collect books from my wishlist, make new discoveries, and somehow also work my booth behind our table. 

That is me in my Miss Read marathon.

“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.“

If someone asked me what MISS READ is, the website provides a clear answer; it's all about connecting artist's book communities over the course of three days. It's a unique opportunity to meet numerous individuals deeply engaged in the publishing scene, offering a greater chance to peruse, and visitors can purchase books without additional shipping costs and tax charges.

Attending MISS READ involves discussing your practices, sharing books, and coming together after every fair day ends. I managed to visit the ABC STAMPA exhibition at DZIALDOV, where each participant was asked to mark 29 individual stamps on the designated part of the newspaper sheet, as ABC suggested, along with invited artists. Coinciding with MISS READ, ABC introduced ABC Stamps, paying homage to Ulises Carrión's collectively produced yet unfinished project, The Stampa Newspaper.

ABC STAMPA, DZIALDOV, Sept. 2023 

Annually, MISS READ extends invitations to publishers from specific regions in an effort to decolonize Art Book Fairs, which are typically dominated by European publishers. Additionally, a table-sharing program was implemented this year to support individuals who may not have the means to attend MISS READ, with other participants generously sharing their projects.

This year, the spotlight was on publishing practices from the East, particularly Asia, the Middle East, and the Asian Diaspora. During MISS READ, I had the opportunity to engage in conversations with Gideon Kong (Temporary Press & Temporary Unit), Eunyoung Hwang (Kkamanke), and Ben Wenhou Yu & Yilei Wang (Northing & Kinakkal). Later, I also attended a talk event featuring Gideon-Jamie and Januar Rianto at Common Imprints, and they even paid a private visit to einBuch.haus, where I showcase contemporary artists‘ books in an exhibition format.

Gideon Kong (Temporary Press & Temporary Unit) and Eunyoung Hwang (Kkamanke) with their publishing projects; it’s now available in various Berlin Bookshop; Hopscotch Reading Room, Pro qm and einBuch.haus.

Special Talk by Gideon-Jamie and Januar Rianto at Common Imprints

Temporary Press focuses on achieving economical approaches and conceptual simplicity with limited resources. Their publications often begin by closely observing daily life and cityscapes in Singapore.

In contrast, Kinakkal Forlag fosters a cultural relationship between China and Norway through their diverse publishing endeavors, including projects like Lens & Landscape, 山海詩/ FJELL HAV POESI, and engaging exhibitions like the Mini Zine Exhibition held in Oslo and Bergen.

Maleonn Ma & Tonje Bøe Birkeland, Lens & Landscape, Kinakaal Forlag, 2022 (Image: Kinakaal Forlag)

I can’t explain every detail of the books I briefly mentioned in this article, so please check their website to discover more. Lastly, I would like to mention the difference between an Art Fair and an Art Book Fair.

The success of an Art Book Fair isn't solely determined by book sales revenue; instead, it hinges on the connections forged and nurtured. Networking is the pivotal element and serves as the prime research ground for discovering exciting new book projects. That’s how I published the book called ‘How to Book in Berlin’ after encountering Hannah Yukiko Pierce at MISS READ last year.

Me and Hannah Yukiko Pierce (Small Editions) & Michat Chojecki (Oficyna Peryferie) with ‘How to Book/ in Berlin’ and How to make a Zine’

einBuch.haus is a project gallery based in Berlin. The central exhibition ethos is to showcase a book in the form of an exhibition (in German: “Ein Buch in Form einer Ausstellung”), thereby transferring the form of a book into three-dimensional spaces.
The exhibition programme features international artists and designers whose work responds to the medium of artists’ books. Starting from the content and material production of a book, einBuch.haus collaborates with the artists to develop the exhibition into various media and presentations. With an interdisciplinary approach, the programme highlights and enhances both the visual and tactile aspects of the reading experience.

Since 2022, einBuch.haus has also been operating as a publishing house and publishing exhibitions in book format.

einBuch.haus publishing projects
https://einbuch.haus/collections/einbuch-haus
https://www.instagram.com/einbuch.haus/
@einbuch.haus 

 / 

Jae Kyung Kim (she/her) is a founding director of einBuch.haus (Berlin) and co-founder of the artist book publisher ENKR (Naju/Berlin). She realises artworks at the intersection of print media, conceptual publications, and installations.