黑料不打烊

Prior to the advent of woodblock printing and moveable type, books existed as objects of desire unto themselves; the labour intrinsic to their production all but outweighing the actual content of the books. As the printing process became progressively mechanised and conducive to mass-production, the book object became more commonplace and the fervour with which they were regarded faded through familiarity.

Despite this however, the book remains imbued with an aura of indispensability. As Richard Minsky observes, 鈥淎 single copy of a book is a curious thing. Even when part of a large edition, it is rarely considered disposable. People have books on their shelves that they haven鈥檛 looked at in years, yet they don鈥檛 throw them out or give them away. A passing glance at the shelf gives a reassuring feeling, a reminder of the knowledge one has absorbed鈥�.

It is perhaps this embedded sentimental significance which prompted artists early in the Twentieth Century to increasingly rediscover value in the 鈥渂ook as medium鈥�, looking at ways to allow it to function as an independent entity as opposed to an arbitrary vessel of text. Gradually, this evolved into the concept of 鈥渁rtist鈥檚 books鈥�, wherein the conventions and inherencies of books were utilised and appropriated to inspire the realisation of works of art.

With this in mind, iArt Gallery takes great pleasure in presenting Open Books, a group exhibition of new and existing work by South African artists that directly engages with the medium of books. This engagement manifests itself in many ways within the works. In some cases the form of the book is faithfully preserved, in others it is reinterpreted completely. What remains consistent is that the physical book object perseveres as a meaningful catalyst for artistic production.

Open Books aims to provide a forum for these works, and in conjunction to reflect on the endearing relationship between the book object and its inspiration to South African artists.