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Returning for its fifth edition to the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, taking place from 17–19 May, Offprint London will bring together 130 independent and experimental publishers from 17 countries this year, marking the most ambitious edition of the fair yet. Founded by Yannick Bouillis and produced by Maja Hoffmann’s Luma Foundation since 2015, Offprint is an itinerant project held periodically in London, Paris, Milan, and Arles for independent, experimental publishers working in the fields of contemporary art, photography, graphic design, architecture, humanities and visual culture.


According to Bouillis, Offprint was created to, “showcase an alliance between printed strategies and digital cultures within the art world, presenting concrete examples of the contemporary dissemination of artistic practices.” In acknowledgement of the high quality and unique publishing practices that currently proliferate in the arts, the event seeks to make their work more visible and available to a wider dedicated audience.

“Since its inception in 2010, Offprint’s aim has been to support independent publishing with a focus on art and design, whilst respecting the editorial, economic and institutional diversity of practices in the field. This year, Offprint will further enhance its commitment by providing independent publishers with a set of critical tools reflecting current trends and changes in the publishing world,” Bouillis expands.


Among this year’s participating publishers are, Claire de Rouen Bookshop, Migrant Journal, Ditto Press, Tripod City, Kiosk, Sang Bleu Publishing, Nero Magazine, Loose Joints, Sébastien Girard, Trolley Books, Silence Editions and more. Coinciding with Photo London, across the weekend, Photoworks will collaborate on a programme of talks and workshops in the Turbine Hall; there will also be a programme of book signings at individual publisher tables and publisher talks in the Clore Studio.

“It seems obvious that artists and curators are pressured to fulfill the objectives of governments and cities, and that demanding galleries are no longer able to stand up for young artists in a market that is subject to global capitalism … In this context, publishing seems to offer an authentic, autonomous space within the art community. Books and other publishing artifacts such as magazines, posters, and tapes are—in comparison to artworks—relatively free from public and market concerns,” Bouillis writes in Aperture.



Offprint London – Tate Modern, Turbine Hall London | 17 – 19 May 2019

Feature image via Offprint. Flyer by Kévin Bray.

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