Bookish 25

 

ARTISTS' BOOK DAY

 

Bookish 25: Artists' Book Open Day was held in 2025 at the Ilam School of Fine Arts gallery. The purpose of the day was to allow visitors to be able to explore these works by removing the barrier of the display case. Over one hundred items were on display on the day representing predominantly New Zealand artists but with several celebrated international works throughout the display. A small reference collection was provided along with some key quotes about artists' books from established researchers of this practice.

A talk was also organised that included Bookish covenors Barbara Garrie (Art History and Theory, University of Canterbury) and Damian Cairns (Heritage Collections Librarian, UC) who were joined by Aaron Beehre (Fine Arts, Graphic Design, UC), Jane Wallace (Curator, The Physics Room) and UC Fine Arts student , Joseph Furness.

 

A list of books displayed on the day.

• Kate Newby; Incredible Feeling; 2014; mfaip CLO.
• Michael Smithers; Sand; 1987; mfaip SMI.
• Peter Madden; Turbulence; 2006; mfaip MAD.
• Louise Menzies; Homecoming; 2006; mfaip PHY.
• Gregory O’Brien; The long fall from splendour to splendour : a poem; 1993; mfaip PUR.
• Julia Morison; Stuttering; 1996; mfaip TUS.
• Ralph Hotere; Pine; 2005; mfaip OTA.
• Eddie Clemens; The kiosk : a history* & project logbook 2000-20; 2020; mfaip PHY.
• Rowan Thomson; Transmutations; 2022; mfaip BRI.
• Ma’alo Lafo; Sāmaria; 2025; mfaip PHY.
• Joanna Margaret Paul; Imogen; 1978; mfaip HAW.
• Paul Paul; A short residency and two attempts; 2013; mfaip SOC
• Liz Worsnop; The Rays; 2013; mfaip PLA.
• Sophie Bannan; Backwater; 2015; mfaip SOP.

• Tim Veling; Entourage; 2020; mfaip TIM.
• Samuel Hope; Tracing Spaces and Telling Stories; 2017; mfaip OTA.
• Tim Veling; Orientation; 2011; mfaip ALL.
• Tony De Lautour; Unreal Estate; 2012; mfaip CHR.
• Holly Best; Garden City; 2016; mfaip SCA.
• Louise Menzies; Local Edition 25.07.12; 2012; mfaip PHY.
• Doc Ross; Quietus : observations of an altered city; 2012; TR 647. R8234.
• Mitchell Bright; Ibid; 2021; mfaip MIT.
• Naomi Bell; A little bit of buildings; 2000; mfaip BEL.
• Paul Thompson; 7.34; 2013; mfaip WAI.
• Wayne Youle; A boys tale; 2019; mfaip WAT.
• James Robinson; Giants, saints, monsters; 2005; mfaip ROB.
• Billy Apple; Severe tropical storm 9301 Irma; 2015; mfaip TUH.
• Sam Mitchell; Discombobulated; 2012; mfaip SAM.
• Nathan Thompson; Tsunami; 2009; mfaip THO.
• Sam Thomas; Oral Traditions; 2013; mfaip SPI.
• Lillian Budd; April Snow; 1990; mfaip TWE.
• Matt Whitwell; Black Flora; 2012; mfaip ENJ.
• Kate Newby; Holding onto it only makes you sick; 2008; mfaip NEW.
• Ronnie Van Hout; Mephitis; 1995; mfaip VAN.
• Unknown; Items found in lots 0012jel, 0012kit, 0012bat, 0012drw, 0012drk : central city site excavated in 2012; mfaip UNK
• Luke Shaw; Black Forest; 2018; mfaip CRY.
• Lillan Budd; Philosophical dictionary…; mfaip BUD.
• Merylyn Tweedie; Forgive Descartes…; 1996; mfaip JON.
• Gavin Hurley; Images; 2012; mfaip GAV.
• John di Stefano; Unfold; 2010; mfaip ENJ.
• Chris Leskovsek; Not too bad; 2019; mfaip OUT.
• Julia Morison; Stuttering; 1996; mfaip TUS.
• Ann Shelton; Metadata; 2011; mfaip ANN.
• Erinn Keith & Natalie Kittow; Wax wane ; Grey matter ; Paper weight; 2020; mfaip BLU.
• Rachel Allan; Coke & popcorn : the image and the series; 2017; mfaip ALL.
• Daniel Knorr; Pukapuka tohunga mahi toi; 2009; mfaip CLO.
• Richard Reddaway; It does no harm to wonder, the body of the work; 2020; mfaip ARA.
• Taloi Havini; Reclamation; 2021; mfaip ART.
• Julia Morison; End to begin; 1995; mfaip TUS.
• Keri Hulme; The silences between : (Moeraki conversations); 2016; mfaip JAN.
• Joseph Akel; XXX; 2009; mfaip AKE.

• Bill Culbert; Some notes on drinking & driving; 1994; mfaip COR.
• Bill Culbert; Some more notes on writing & drinking; 2010; mfaip COR
• Richard Killen; Ticket to New York; 1997; mfaip WOR.
• Richard Killen; Handbook; 1993; mfaip WOR.
• Richard Killen; Paths of seniority; 1997; mfaip WOR.
• Richard Killen; Letters from my father; 1991; mfaip WOR.
• Richard Killen; Code of responsibility manual; 1998; mfaip WOR.
• Bruce Connew; A vocabulary; 2021; mfaip VAP.
• Leigh Davies; The book of hours; 2001; mfaip JAC.
• Tim Velin; Dad, Pete, Opa; 2020; mfaip XYZ.
• Gordon Walters; A geometric order; 1997; mfaip WOR.
• Solomon Mortimer; Personal; 2016; mfaip SOL.
• Joe Furniss; Heirloom; 2024; mfaip JOE.
• Aroha Novak; The native section : indigenous flora of Hagley Park and Domain Ōtautahi 1864; 2021; mfaip SCA.
• Bill Manhire; Malady; 1997 [New ed.]; mfaip WED.
• Richard Long; From around a lake; 1973; mfaip ART.
• Laura Rodari; The gray line; 2019; mfaip AKI.
• Stephen Willats; Doppelgänger; 1985; mfaip ACT.
• Eric Zboya; Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard : translations; 2018; mfaip APP.
• Les Levine; Watergate fashions…; 1973; mfaip LEV.
• Les Levine; Les Levine's I am not blind : an information environment about unsighted people : Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Lions Gallery of the Senses :April 6-June 30, 1976; 1976; mfaip ATH.
• Bernd & Hilla Becher; Water Towers; 1988; mfaip MIT.
• Bernd & Hilla Becher; Pennsylvania coal mine tipples; 1991; mfaip DIA.
• Johanna Drucker; History of the/my word…; 1995; mfaip DRU.
• Johanna Drucker; The word made flesh; 1996; mfaip GRA.
• Richard Long; Richard Long, South America, 1972 : [spiral, puma, sun, moon, condor, falcon, rain]; 1972; mfaip FIS.

 

• Jim Miller; Poison pen : a story of wrongful dismissal : a bookwork; 1990; mfaip MIL.
• Stēphane Mallarmē; A roll of the dice will never abolish chance [translation]; 2015; mfaip WAV.
• Jacki Apple; Partitions; 1976; mfaip APP.
• Ray Johnson; The paper snake; 1965; mbsc.
• Stephen Willats; Stairwell; 1990; mfaip COR.
• Colin Sackett; Copy; 1992; mfaip COR.
• Stephen Willats; Cha Cha Cha; 1982; mfaip COR.
• Sol Lewitt; Incomplete open cubes; 1974; mfaip JOH.
• Sol Lewitt; The location of straight, not-straight & broken lines and all their combinations; 1976; mfaip JOH.
• Sol Lewitt; Lines & Color; 1975; mfaip ANN.
• Douglas Gordon; Vanity of Allegory; 2005; mfaip GUG.
• Dieter Roth; 246 little clouds; 1968; mfaip SOM.
• Edward Ruscha; Royal road test; 1971; mfaip RUS.
• Edward Ruscha; Records; 1971; mfaip RUS.
• Michael Snow; Cover to cover; 1975; mfaip PRE.
• Marina Abramovic; Two performances and Detour; 1979; mfaip EXP.
• Richard Tuttle; Eight words from a reading at Brooklyn College; 1990; mfaip GAL.
• Lawrence Weiner; Relative to hanging = Svarende til hængning = Svarende til hengning = Varđandi hengingu = Svarande till hängning = Syllistynyt hirttämiseen; 1975; mfaip EDI.
• Lawrence Weiner; Having been done at : having been done to = Essendo stato fatto a : essendo stato fatto a; 1972; mfaip SPE.
• Lawrence Weiner; And/or : green as well as blue as well as red; 1972; mfaip JAC.
• Lawrence Weiner; Having from time to time a relation to : escalation-overloading-revocation = Van tijd tot tijd in een relatie staan tot : escalatie-overlading-herroeping; 1973; mfaip ART.
• Christien Meindertsma; PIG 05049 : 1:1; 2007; mfaip FLO.
• Eva Marie Rødbro; Fuck you kiss me; 2008; mbsc.
• David Horvitz; How to shoplift books;  mfaip EDI.
• Pablo Picasso; Gangora; 1985; mfaip BRA.
•  Tauba Auerbach; There have been and will be many San Franciscos; 2016; mfaip DIA.
• Henri Matisse; Jazz; 1983; mfaip BRA.
•  Raymond Johnson; The paper snake; 1965; mbsc ND 237 .J68p
• Henri Toulouse Lautrec [i.e. Kathy Acker]; The adult life of Toulouse Lautrec; 1978; CE.

• Reference Section:
• The Codex Papers : the book as a work of art: an international review.
• Code(x) + 1 monograph series
• Book art object
• Materialia lumina : contemporary artists' books from the CODEX International Book Fair
• Roni Horn : catalogs, artist's books and monographs.
• The book on books on artists books
• Artists' books : the book as a work of art, 1963-1995
• Printed Matter Inc. : books by artists
• Artists books : a critical survey of the literature
• Books by artists
• Book as artwork 1960/1972
• Vico's spiral : half century of artists' books