NGV International | 16–19 March 2017

A never-ending book club, an international symposium on typography, an Australian zine showcase and a Wikipedia edit-a-thon are among the fifty events of the third annual Melbourne Art Book Fair, which will take place at NGV International from 16-19 March 2017.

Opening the program for the inaugural Melbourne Design Week, the 2017 Melbourne Art Book Fair will bring together established and emerging art publishers, artists, writers and designers for fifty diverse programs including free talks and discussions, workshops, book launches and performances. Sydney paper-engineer Benja Harney of Paperform has designed a large-scale installation for the NGV’s iconic Great Hall, which will be the setting for more than 200 publishers presenting art, design, architecture and photography publications from around the world.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘The Melbourne Art Book Fair has become a highly anticipated event for publishers and lovers of art books, and is the largest program of its kind in our region. This year we move in a new direction with a particular focus on art book publishing practices in contemporary photography, design and typography.’

2017 Melbourne Art Book Fair highlights include:

• International Symposium on Typography: Featuring globally acclaimed local and international practitioners, this day-long symposium will explore contemporary developments in type design and typography. Presented with the RMIT Design Futures Lab, the symposium features keynote presentations by: Radim Peško, London; Sara De Bondt, Amsterdam; Mia Frostner and Robert Sollis of Europa, London; Vincent Chan, Melbourne; and Catherine Griffiths, Auckland.

• New international and local exhibitors including Self Publish Be Happy, London; Libros Amigos by Libros Mutantes, Spain; D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, USA; David Zwirner, USA; Edition Patrick Frey, Switzerland; Steidl, Germany and Taschen.

• The Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing: The winner of this inaugural $15,000 award, and five finalists each receiving $1000, will be announced on 16 March as part of the Melbourne Art Book Fair.

• Endless Book Club: International guests Self Publish Be Happy curate a large-scale public book club across the Fair weekend in NGV’s Federation Court. Visitors can join local book groups of diverse backgrounds and interests – from cub scouts and dog trainers to feminists and art lovers – as they discuss art books, and collaborate in a literary conversation which seems truly endless.

• Melbourne Art Book Fair Party: The weekend kicks off with a special event to celebrate the opening of the third Melbourne Art Book Fair. With after-hours access to international and local publishers and practitioners, guests can enjoy food, drinks and a live performance by DJ Cale Sexton.

• Australian Zine Showcase: For the first time, Sticky Institute have curated over one hundred zine makers to display and sell their work at the 2017 Melbourne Art Book Fair. This showcase will present Melbourne’s vibrant DIY publishing community alongside zines from around Australia.

Sticky Institute are ardent defenders of zine culture and since 2001 have run a zine shop in the Degraves Street Subway, Melbourne.

• WIKID: Women, Wikipedia, Design: Visitors are invited to drop in to this casual edit-a-thon, hosted by advocacy organisation Parlour, to help increase the number of Wikipedia articles on women in architecture and the built environment. All are welcome, from the novice to the professional Wikipedia editor. 

• If You See Something, Say Something: The Grammar of Art Writing: In this 30-minute presentation, local grammar nerds Penny Modra and Meredith Forrester of The Good Copy will take a look under the bonnet of art writing. 

• NGV Book Launches: The NGV will launch three new titles, including publications on the works of artists Brook Andrew and Patrick Pound. The NGV will also launch its first book for teen audiences, 25 International Artists Who Have Made an Impact, featuring twenty-five extraordinary stories about artists and artworks, as told by author Ronnie Scott and guest teen influencers.

2017 Melbourne Art Book Fair dates and times
Thursday 16 March: International Typography Symposium 10am–5pm (ticketed)
Friday 17 March: 10am–5pm
Friday Party: 7.30–10pm (ticketed)
Saturday 18 March: 10am–8pm
Sunday 19 March 10am–5pm

Free entry at NGV International. Prices are noted online for ticketed programs and events.

The full program for the 2017 Melbourne Art Book Fair is available at NGVARTBOOKFAIR.COM

Please find attached a guide to some of the program highlights.