A decade ago that Artslibris It occupies a significant, signposted, different and care in Arcomadrid. The International Book Fair of Artist, Fotolibro and Self -edition brings in this 2025 call to more than 80 editors, authors, creators and booksellers from more than 20 countries. An advance that leaves behind those beginnings for independent publishers in the icy corridor between pavilions with their glass table and just space, gradually giving them the place they deserve.
The publishers who come to the fairs are, in essenceprojects of a generally titanic effort That, to survive in this digital era and, even more, in a world in which the book is lived as a complement and is not always respected as an autonomous project, they are of great relevance to contemporary art.
Perhaps the success of this editorial section has been Leave it to another fair (artslibris) So that, after a decade, it has a relevant hole in the IFEMA pavilions. Not also of ‘Peros’, Well, publishers really need much more tight and sensitive prices for a sector whose margin is scarce compared to the titanic investment they need to be able to see the light each of their products.
The editorial chain goes far beyond the strong link that unites artists and gallery owners. Here are more agents than They survive in a highly vocational business and that, probably, it is based mainly on a romantic belief and fierce principles on the need to create spaces for reflection and thought for coming generations that contemplate the context.
Grow in rigor
It is true that the format has been growing in seriousness and rigor at the time of the staging of the exhibition area, for a sector that, I insist, It deserves a difficult respect and sensitivity to find. It is appreciated that they want to dedicate spaces when it comes to making their existence known, as in this publication, where we can establish a small tour in which to give some brushstrokes around the publishers that the visitor can find at the fair, of the purest, in publication of thought books, to those who hybridize in format.
Some more specific such as Ox eyes, that continues with documentary photography, to institutions such as Casa Velázquez, Macba, the Art School of Oviedo, the Museum of Fine Arts of the same city, the Museum of the University of Navarra or the CENDEAC. The ROCIOSANTACRUZ GALLERY, Head of Artslibris since its inception, he also has in this section his meeting point in his facet as an artist book editor. Arcadia, A consolidated Catalan publishing house in the field of contemporary art and thought publications, with a catalog that includes essays, monographs and artist books, is coda with BlueProject Foundation, Private Foundation of Barcelona that, in addition to its exhibition work, develops an editorial line with catalogs and publications that deepen its exhibitions.
Classic like magazines Exit and Bonart, with decades of experience and almost the only resistant after the disappearance of Art and part– Special member to the memory of its director and art critic Fernando Huici, that has left us in the week before the fair – it remains as one of the referents in the dissemination and critic of the visual arts. Others such as Fabra i Coats, that, bet on innovation and experimentation, or galleries themselves such as the aforementioned Spray the black box or path.
From top to bottom, José Luis López Moral and Patrica Mateo de Forcarta; one of Artslibris’s photographic publications; and couple of editors present in the room
The truth is that Artslibris has become a hotbed in which a great diversity of public and A great influx, once inconsequential. With a dynamization program in the Speakers’ Corner of the Arco Forum, Every afternoon of the weekend there is nourishes of presentations that also bring a more scientific and reflective look on the creation of many of the artists, critics and commissioners who are at the fair.
A strong point of Artslibris is the ability to value the artist’s book as a collection piece, beyond what we value as test or reflection publications. In an environment loaded with large pictorial pieces, sculptures and digital works, the resistance of these spaces highlights that books can also be art, with unique and limited editions that attract both experienced collectors and those who seek to start in the art world. This is the case of Fueradcorta, which opens in this edition.
As data: Do not miss the presentations of Chair, Like Saturday at 5:30 p.m., to be able to listen to Guillermo de Osma in his reflection on the evolution of art galleries, or that of Sunday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. Elena de la Rúa and Ángela Ferreira, which promises an interesting dialogue about image and death. It will also be interesting to Oviedo’s Fine Arts Museum, which will have Blanca de la Torre as a luxury curator when establishing a dialogue between Noemí Iglesias and Lucía García, who, following the curatorial concerns of De la Torre, will analyze the exploitation of nature for the production of technology.
Artslibris 2025
IFEMA. Pavilion 7. Director: Rocío Santacruz. Until March 9.
In short, Artslibris in Arco is much more than a book fair: it is a meeting point for creativity, reflection and discovery. With each edition, it reinforces its role as a reference in the artistic edition, demonstrating that the book remains a valuable object and full of possibilities. An ideal place for art and culture lovers that They look for inspiration and connection on each page.
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