Against the backdrop of the flourishing of art book fairs, Korea's GRAPHIC invited numerous book fair organizers to share their views on the current state of book fairs and on what role they should ultimately play, and publishes this issue based on their responses. Figuratively speaking, this issue can be seen as a large-scale roundtable where more than 30 art book fairs—ranging from well-known to newly established ones, and differing in tradition, scale, background, and motivation—participate in discussing the role of book fairs.
Book fairs around the world are now undergoing intense aesthetic diversification. Some newer fairs, standing in opposition to economies of scale, are presenting formats that differ strikingly from existing ones, while other noteworthy attempts are being made to overcome the mainstream ecologically and ethically in terms of organization and operation.
This issue of GRAPHIC captures the living voices from the frontlines of art book fairs today. With an unprecedented number of insiders participating through interviews, conversations, reports, and essays, this issue serves as a reference point for continuing the discussion—and for those envisioning new kinds of book fairs.
