Posted on January 20, 2018
Sean OToole a journalist, critic, and editor living in Cape Town reviews Publishing Against the Grain for the January 2018 edition of Art Agenda: “The broad reach of Publishing Against the Grain, which aggregates little magazines from Brazil, Canada, Iran, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Uganda with varying degrees of affinity to the art world, invites relational comparison. My summary outtake: materiality still matters to independent publishers, whatever their location, as does the idea of a curious reader. The exhibition takes shape around a selection of reading material from nineteen publishers, including artist-book publisher Raking Leaves (Sri Lanka) and web platform Our Literal Speed (United States), some of who also nominated additional publications for display. It is a familiar form of curatorship by fiat, but nonetheless yields a material richness that is laid out on old school desks for browsing and accessible through wall-mounted electronic devices. The nominations obviously function as declarations of affinity, but just as often they map kinship and influence. ” To read the full review, continue here.