Open Call for Artists | Hand printed Artists’ Book 2023

Are you truly enthusiastic about artists’ books? Do you enjoy the inspiring atmosphere at AGA LAB? And would you like to make a new art work in the coming year with which we, a group of AGA LAB artists, can exhibit together? Then you are cordially invited to participate in this Artist Book project.

With the project To the sweet murmur of leaves, artists are invited to make an artist’s book in the coming year. Both artists who often make work in the form of a book and artists for whom the book form is still new are cordially invited to participate. All printing techniques are welcome.

The Artist Book 2023

With this project we intend to give contemporary artists the space to demonstrate the power of an artist’s book. What possibilities does this art form offer? How does it relate to a video work, a painting or an installation? Both classic forms and groundbreaking books are welcome.

The relationship between human and the seasons

In addition, we have given this project a theme. Both to offer the artists a starting point, but also to invite the participants to express their vision of the relationship between people and the changing seasons in their own image and narrative. We have chosen a very well-known and extensive story that takes place in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century and tells about the relationship between a man and the country that changes every season. It is the text of the cycle of four violin concertos composed by Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons. How do we read this text today? Artists are free to indicate their own interpretation. Similarly, we can well imagine that the book only celebrates spring or that contemporary voices such as those of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s and Merlin Sheldrake come to life in the book.

Criteria for participation:

Professional artists from all disciplines are welocme to participate.
All art works must be printed in the workshop of AGA LAB. The printing technique is freely selectable.
The edition consists of a minimum of 5 copies, so that at least two copies can be used for exhibitions and one copy can be offered for sale.

Deadlines:

The application deadline is February 5, 2023. Send a short description of your project and a working title and your printing technique to: Boekenproject2023@gmail.com
We start this project around the Dutch day ‘of the printing press’: March 15, 2023.
The deadline for artist books is September 3, 2023. From that date we will request two copies from you to show during exhibitions.

* We have the text of the four seasons available in a Dutch, English and Italian version. You will receive this from us after registration.