BOOKIES -Talks on books, zines, art and independent publishing

Bookies is a seminar on artist- and designer-led publishing as a vehicle for artistic expression and mode of distribution of contemporary art today. By exhibitions, talks and discussions by key figures in the field, Bookies will give the audience a comprehensive idea of the current shifts in independent art publishing and its design that are shaping the ways we experience contemporary art.

Aimed at professionals, students and enthusiasts alike, both the two-day seminar and the two month-long exhibitions are free for all to attend. With Bookies we hope to help build bridges between art and its audience, the work and its representation through design. During the event, Nieves publishing and Motto distribution offer a selection of their publications for purchase onsite at Kiasma and through Myymälä2 and Napa shops.

One of the things we find most interesting in the changing role of publications in contemporary art is the relationship between the traditional art object and its representation in book or catalog form. Where does the work reside in these new circumstances; where does the work end and its representation begin? When artists choose printed matter as their primary outlet, what implications does this have on the way the work meets its audience, the experience the work provokes in the viewer? Small edition artist’s books, zines and self-published printed works are at the forefront, when the borders between works of art and their representations are currently being redrawn.

Bookies is part of the WDC Helsinki 2012, Helsinki Photography Biennial 2012 and Kiasma's Päin näköä -exhibition programs and organized together with Kiasma Theater and Museum of Contemporary Art, Myymälä2 Gallery and Napa Books & Gallery.