Artist's Book Yearbook 2003-2005 - Book Arts - University of the ...

As a result of all this the members of 13 +
wanted to continue this ‘joint venture’ in some
way or another. In a somewhat different
assembling works of 13 + were exhibited under
the title einblicke-insights at Takeo Showroom,
Tokyo, Japan, in October 2002. This exhibition
is documented on a web-site. 4 Further plans for
exhibition venues include Philadelphia, USA
(November 2003—January 2004); Lithuania,
Estonia, Schwerin ...
The following text goes back to a talk given at
the opening of the exhibition einblicke-insights
in Japan and at the Museum für Angewandte
Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts) Frankfurt
during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2002. It
presents mainly those books that were on show
in Japan and gives a general summary of each
artist’s approach and work.
The Artists of 13 + and their Work
The first book presented is by Veronika
Schäpers and has the title: 32 Superior Beauties of
Buddha’s Person. It is printed from Zinc Clichees
on Torinoko paper and painted with a special
Japanese lacquer. The large format book
contains geometrical signs and symbols or parts
of these respectively. (I’d like to mention again
that the Nazi Hakenkreuz turned the other way
round and that the swastika is the older
symbol.)
Since 1997, Veronika Schäpers has been living
in Tokyo, and it seems natural, that where you
live does have an influence on what you do!
This influence can show up in different ways.
Here, it is the theme that comes from the Far
East. Heiko Michael Hartmann describes in his
text Triumph eines Hosenverkäufers the situation
of a man who wants to buy a pair of trousers.
He is being put under pressure by the salesman
in such a way that he imagines himself to be in
a fight. He just tries to escape. Veronika
Schäpers transforms the two men into boxers.
While turning the pages of her book, I can
follow their fight and read the text line by line.
The figures are printed as light shadows on
clear foil and become visible only when the
pages are turned over. With all the pages on
top of each other they become a colourful
mass, suggesting some movement. The book is
bound with rubber strings that are reminiscent
of a boxing ring.
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The next artist introduced is Frauke Otto. She
is a bookbinder and paper maker. In this book
here she uses handmade paper. The text is set
by hand and printed letterpress. Usually she
chooses texts from classical literature for her
books, here it is a text by Bertolt Brecht: Von der
Kindsmörderin Marie Farrar. The book design
reflects the emotional states which are evoked
by reading these texts. Frauke Otto considers
it to be important that not only does she make
the idea and concept for the book, but also
does all work herself (papermaking, type
setting, printing and bookbinding). Most
important to her is that the realisation of
handcraft techniques has to support the clarity
of the design - a point of view many artists of
13 + regard as important.
Susanne Nickel is next. Her ideas for books
come from her growing collection of witty texts,
descriptions of absurd scenes of everyday life,
bizarre materials and interesting objects.
Surrounded by all this, she mixes and mingles
the ingredients into books which are often
one-of-a-kind. In this book Susanne Nickel uses
a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm Frau Trude,
which she illustrates with drawings and collages
on transparent foil.
Above (closed) and below: Frau Trude Susanne Nickel /
Brüder Grimm
Veronika Schäpers, Frauke Otto and Susanne
Nickel together form the group à 3. Under this
name they appear on book fairs and exhibitons.
À3refers, of course, to the fact that they are
three – three quite different and individual
approaches to the book.