The Annotated Reader at NYABF
27 August 2019
Lisson Gallery is again participating in Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair, 20-22 September, but this year joins the specially-selected Exhibitor Projects to present the newly launched book form of 'The Annotated Reader' (published by Dent-De-Leone). This publication-as-exhibition and exhibition-as-publication, featuring 281 responses and remarks on a chosen piece of writing, was conceived by Ryan Gander and Jonathan P. Watts, who invited a range of contemporary artists, designers, writers, institutional founders, and musicians to answer the question: “Is there one piece of writing that you would want with you for company in the small hours?”The compiled texts – with personal annotations and notes by contributors including Marina Abramović, Art & Language, Ragnar Kjartansson, Sarah Lucas, and Hans Ulrich Obrist – are newly printed as a book and exhibited as stacks of loose sheets hanging from the walls, so that visitors are able to compile their own version of 'The Annotated Reader'. In addition, a vending machine distributes USBs containing the entire PDF of submissions.
Artist Ryan Gander will also be discussing the genesis of the project on Friday 20th September between 1–2pm, with Lisson Gallery’s Ossian Ward and other guest contributors to The Annotated Reader, as part of the Classroom talks programme.
The NYABF takes place at MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101, 20-22 September, with a special invite-only opening night on 19 September.
