TABF2023には、北欧５カ国のアートブックシーンを牽引する5名のキーパーソンたちがセレクトしたアーティストブックやZINEが並ぶ4日間限りのブックストア「Nordic Art Book Store」がTABFに登場します。ここでは、キュレーターたちに、それぞれの活動やセレクション、自国のアーティストブックの特徴などについて話を聞いてみます。第一弾を飾るのは、アーティスト活動の傍ら、出版やキュレーション、フェスティバルの企画運営など幅広い活動を通してアーティストブックを広めるデンマークのヨハン・ローゼンムンテ。今回は、自身の出版社「Lodret Vandret」としてもTABFに出展するので、ぜひそちらも訪ねてみて！
―Please briefly describe your practice.
I see myself as a visual artist who also enjoys curating, organizing and engaging in other artists’ works. My own work spans from artists’ books to sculptural installations and performances and deals with potential energy, time and archaeology. The projects I started is curatorial collective and publishing house 「Lodret Vandret」, exhibition space ‘New Shelter Plan‘ and artists’ book festival ‘One Thousand Books’
―Can you please explain what led you to start One Thousand Books and why you called it a festival instead of a fair?
Back in 2013 we thought there was a lack of focus on artists’ books in Denmark, so we decided to take matters in our own hands. We had lots of ideas for different events that could take place, so we thought the word festival was more fitting – and also because we didn’t want to promise the publishers tons of sales. The Danish audience likes to participate but don’t necessarily buy that much.
―One Thousand Books uses different spaces each time. What kind of space is O-Overgaden, your next venue for the fair on December 1st~3rd?
O–Overgaden is a kunsthalle that has a history of being a book printing house.
―What is the theme for your next One Thousand Books?
This year we focus on spaces for artists’ books. Books are quite easy to distribute, but someone still has to do it. For 10 years, the festival One Thousand Books has helped spread the word about artists’ books. Now the time has come to take a look at the spaces where they are actually changing hands—the bookshops. Often run by publishers or artists themselves, the spaces for artists’ books play a vital role in selecting, distributing, and communicating the artworks.
One Thousand Books will, from its base at O—Overgaden, hand out a map and compose a guided tour to a series of local, specialized bookshops. As a token of encouragement to visit your local bookshops, we made a small edition of bindles, consisting of a wooden branch and a piece of fabric, perfect for carrying a stack of books, and silkscreen printed with a mapping of the spaces for artists’ books near you.
―Within your selection for Tokyo Art Book Fair, we see many publications from Space Poetry and Officin. From your point of view, where would you situate them/what role do they play in the Danish art book scene?
Officin was a quite short-lived project, but the woman behind had fantastic enthusiasm and had her own Riso-printing workshop so she could really control the whole process. Space Poetry is on the other hand a really long-term project that is still very much alive. Three friends, now in their 60s, that are extremely innovative and productive.
―You listed many contemporary artist books and zines for our Nordic Art Book Store. Are there any characteristics you noticed among the art books in Denmark through the process of this selection? Have you found any other similarities/differences with the other four Nordic countries?
I think the Danish artists’ book scene had a connection to the legalization of pornography in Denmark 50 years ago. There is a sense of freedom and a search for boundaries in a lot of the early Danish publications, that I have a feeling comes from the understanding the Danish people was very open and free and had no censorship at all.
―A quick message for our Japanese audience please!
Can I live here the rest of my life?
11月25日（土）17:00-18:15 料金：無料（要当日有効のTABF入場券）
Talk Event「Nordic Art Book Store キュレーターズトーク」