Art books. They dominate my bookshelves. They haunt my Amazon cart. They belong on my lap and in my home.
I love art books, and the LA Art Book Fair was an opportunity to gorge on thousands. From the innovative, interesting, appealing to the expected and dull, there was a huge range of quality.
The tribute to Mike Kelley and his bookshelf of treasured media was inspirational. His work alone and with Destroy All Monsters are forever art favorites of mine.
Getting to talk to artists is the best part of an art fair. Sunday was hot, but the zine section was filled with people I liked running into and meeting. And where I spent all my money.
I REALLY MET VALE. the writer/ producer of RE/search. A favorite misfit outsider journal with a range of curiously chosen topics, all divided into well-researched and grandly laid-out thick and oversized paperback books. They are encyclopedias of the underground as seen through a very keen eye. I called them “cultural touchstones” to his face, and he took out a pen and made a note of it. I have a signed Industrial Culture Handbook now.
I ran into Steve Grody, the graffiti expert and culture researcher. He has tons of stories and knowledge and never stops working. His collection and history of West Coast street artists keeps growing, and his current project sounds intense.
The other artists I spoke to were weird, intriguing, funny, cool, and super-inspirational… Sunday energy and some positive vibes. Hello LA Art Book Fair.
