on paper Studio, WHITE SPACE BEIJING and zapbeijing co-present the second exhibition of artists’ books, ‘on paper 2’. The exhibition opens on June 30th, 2018 at WHITE SPACE BEIJING and zapbeijing.

The "artist’s book" is a genre created by an artist based on his or her everyday practice and unique understanding of the book itself as a medium. Distinct from an ordinary print publication, it often deals directly with and reflects on the material and physical aspects that define a book.

The on paper 2 project encompasses a group exhibition of works by 32 artists at WHITE SPACE BEIJING, as well as a personal publication project by Ce Jian, at the zapbeijing space. Departing from the on paper one exhibition in 2017, on paper 2 showcases not only the books themselves, but also paintings, drawings, videos and installations pertaining directly and indirectly to the theme.

   

On view at zapbeijing is a "map" of the various routes Ce Jian has taken in the process of creating her own publication. The exhibition comprehensively demonstrates the artist’s numerous tasks, from preparing for her works on canvas, delving into extensive textual and visual research, to the artist’s effort to make sense of, associate and contextualise her long-term practice. The four themes in her publication— the figure, the projection, and the CAPTCHA and Armada series — are meticulously narrated through the various original, first-hand materials, archives, manuscripts and notes, all on view in the zapbeijing space. The exhibition aims to expand a newly produced publication in an exhibition space, with the purpose of exploring the form and the prehistory of the book.

 
Exhibition View of 'on paper 2' in zapbeijing

‘on paper 2’ deals with the important genre of the artist’s book in a more comprehensive fashion than ever before. The book is a work of art — one that thoroughly illustrates the artist’s ideas of and reflections on his or her long-term artistic practice. At the same time, the artist’s book is just a book. Lying in between a form of publication and a form of artwork, how is it properly a book? A book in a painting or in a film — how is that merely a representation of a book? The current exhibition explores these questions recto and verso.

More reading
→ about ‘on paper 2’
→ about ‘Jian Ce’