Students’ Artist’s Books in Leipzig Book Fair 2014

 

Time: 13-16 March 2014
Location: “Leipziger Messe”, Leipzig, Germany

The “IAKH: Globus Galerie + Edition Lebensretter” invited students from Graphic Department, Vilnius Academy of Arts to show artist’s books, book art and prints in Leipzig Book Fair 2014. This was the second time when the Graphic Department had the exhibition space in Leipzig Book Fair. The first show of an artist’s books and prints from the Graphic Department was in 1997, in the old building of “Leipziger Messe”.

After 1997 many times I participated in Leipzig Book Fair as a Gallery and many times I was driven there with the students, professors and friends. But in 2014 the Graphic Department was the official participants of the Fair. It was a great joy and a great responsibility. It was not only good possibility to learn how to present the Graphic Department in the public space, how to exhibit artist’s books, typographical books and prints, but also to see the all process from “inside”.

In the beginning together with the students as a team we had to find the conception, how we want to present our Graphic Department between other academies in Leipzig Book Fair. We had to decide how to prepare our exhibition space for the visitors that we would had another “face” from others. And I think we did it very good and in professional way – that we learned from nay visitors.

Next stage of our project was to drive our academy bus to Leipzig, to live in private hotel near Leipzig, to live together as one family, to keep good mood. Also we had to drive our student Monika to the ” Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig [HGB]” where she had to study as an Erasmus student.

When we arrived in Leipzig Book Fair we started to work as a professional team. It was really nice to see how students were working with great responsibility.

In the next day the Leipzig Book Fair has started officially. We had to present our Graphic Department, to talk with the visitors, to show and to explain about our Department for the students and professors from other universities of art. Our students were young, beautiful, kind, were speaking in very good English and also shy – it was nice to see how they communicate with visitors and between himself, how they takes responsibility for our exhibition space.

From the beginning we decided that only to present Graphic Department in Leipzig Book Fair is not enough. Students has to be active participants of the Book Fair not as a visitors, but as a exhibitors who want to make new contacts with students and professors of other academies, to make new contact with the galleries and editors of publishing houses.

One day we decided to visit the Leipzig: the “Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig” and the “Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei” with all galleries and art workshops.

I think we did big job. And we did it with love.

Sponsor of the travel to Leipzig Book Fair 2014 – Vilnius Academy of Arts.

 

Prof. Kestutis Vasiliunas
Vilnius Academy of Arts

© Photos: Kestutis Vasiliunas
© Artist’s Book Creators 2014