Thank you for your interest in Art Byte Critique.
This is the archived website of Art Byte Critique through 2017.
You can find our new website at www.artbytecritique.com
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With less than one day to go, the six artists Patty Hudak, Yuko Kamei, Lori Ono, Louise Rouse, Nick West, and Arthur Huang from Art Byte Critique are busily putting the finishing touches on their works for the Tokyo Art Book Fair 2017.
There are going to be more than 300 booths and exhibitors this year and we are very excited to be participating for the fourth year in a row. With so many booths to traverse, we want to be sure than you can find us! So here is our booth information. Be sure to look for the banner with our logo designed by Patty Hudak and Dai Oinuma.
Art Byte Critique will be in Section A, Booth H-04
We will be setting our booth up Thursday morning and afternoon. The Tokyo Art Book Fair preview starts on Thursday, October 5th at 3 pm for the International Section while Sections A and Z opens at 5 pm. All sections will be open until 9 pm. Tickets for the preview are 1000 yen.
The Tokyo Art Book Fair is open on Friday, October 6th and Saturday, October 7th from 12 – 8 pm. The last day of the event is Sunday, October 8th from 11 am – 7 pm.
Along with our booth in Section A, Booth: H-04, here are some recommendations to check out.
Adrian Hogan and Luis Mendo SECTION : Z | BOOTH : Z-054
Bunny Bissoux SECTION : A | BOOTH : A-c-13
Einstein Studio SECTION : A | BOOTH : A-g-04
Hello Sandwich SECTION : Z | BOOTH : Z-072
Kteam SECTION : Z | BOOTH : Z-110
Kana Kawanishi Art Office SECTION : A | BOOTH : (JP) A-d-03
Knuckles & Notch SECTION : A | BOOTH : A-a-13
Mayumi Nakamura SECTION : Z | BOOTH : Z-030
Perimeter Books SECTION : INTERNATIONAL | BOOTH : I-047
This is just a small selection to get you started. We will have more recommendations once the event starts!
We hope to see you this coming weekend. Please stop by, browse our books, and don’t be shy, say hello! お待ちしております。よろしくお願いいたします。
All the details are in one place below.
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
This is the fifth in a series of interviews with Art Byte Critique members participating in the Tokyo Art Book Fair which runs from October 5 to October 8th. This is Art Byte Critique’s fourth appearance at TABF and we are all really excited. Louise kindly too time to do a Q&A series and provides some images of her projects.
Name: Louise Rouse
From: UK
Time in Japan: 9 years 336 days as of today. Plus 4 months before that in 2006. Plus 2 weeks before that in 2003. Plus 3 weeks before that in 1998.
Education/ Occupation: MFA / Adjunct Professor for Printmaking & Drawing, Art Program, Temple University Japan Campus
How long have you been making books?
I don’t think I could pinpoint when I started organising ideas into bound paper objects of some kind. I can remember doing that forever.
When I was in middle school I even made my maths coursework which was a large part of the final grade into a ringbound zine with elaborately designed pages printed out on our home inkjet printer. I cannot speak for the quality of the maths though…
My middle school social studies teacher liked my zine assignment submission on the subject of local church history and paintings so much he wouldn’t give it back and was still showing it to other classes the last I heard… I’m still a little mad he didn’t give it back.
At age 15 I went on a work experience placement to a teen girl magazine in London and told my class I wanted to be a magazine designer as an adult.
I think I have always used something like graphic design (even before I knew what that was) to organise my thoughts and to actually understand the world.
I instinctively tidy disparate thoughts into sequential sections that are visually easy to look at and somehow the information gets traction where otherwise it would get lost and unprocessed in the sea of un-designed chaos out there in the world.
There is almost nothing that consistently pleases me as much as beautiful images and lettering on paper that I can hold in my hands and flip back and forth through my fingers.
What is the biggest challenge for you when you make a book?
The biggest dilemma is to counter any and all inclinations to complicate an already large engineering challenge. In other words, making the book the simplest form of the idea you want to achieve because once you start editioning books you really discover the limits of one human’s time and labour.
This year I’m making a set of more elaborate books than I have in a while so we’ll see if I can actually adhere to my own hard-learned principle.
Do you have any art book heroes?
I’m indebted to Jonathan Ward who taught at my undergrad in Bristol. He told me romantic stories of his youth, carrying a suitcase of artist books around on the trains of Europe and selling them for a living. This seemed totally normal at the time, like “oh yeah, make money from artist books while traveling on trains, I dig it”.
He owns a small fine-art silkscreen press on the Isle of Weight now so it must be possible.
Also at the same university is Sarah Bodman, a dedicated book arts researcher and champion of this artform based in the Centre for Fine Print Research. Her passion and dedication to the community is inspiring. You can subscribe to her newsletter here: http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/newsletters.html
How did working with Art Byte Critique help you prepare your work?
Art Byte Critique consistently supports all members and everyone seems to really feel it at the end of each meeting. Normally as an artist, it’s very easy to feel like your work is an island of no relevance to any living being but I feel the exact opposite of that in the company of these incredible people. The combined output of our collective is like a living organism. Maybe like a wild wisteria… A bit invasive…. and sprawling…. but hella pretty.
What would you like people to know about your books?
This year I am presenting a book series of four titles, Kinjo, Tsukin, Tocho and Kabukicho (Neighborhood, Commute to work, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the red light district of Kabukicho) Each book is made with wooden casings which are carved with the title. The wood used is all native to Japan and reflects the character of the area, the paper is also hand made paper from Japan with connotations about those locations. Inside are frottage rubbings taken by using the streets and surfaces of the city as “wild printing plates”. Creating the work itself is a very public performance and a lot of interactions occurred between me and fellow Tokyoites who caught me doing this unusual thing in public space. It has been a very engaging project to work on and given me a lot of new thoughts and ideas each day working on it and I’m looking forward to presenting the works and the diary of making it to people at the book fair.
Do you have any advice for people coming to the book fair?
Last year I found a Japanese-run stall that imported a range of small edition linocut illustration magazines from a specialist German publisher, that was a great find. Around 40 pages of full color or 2-color linocuts, carved by artists and printed by this publisher, maybe ¥9000 or so which is a steal considering. Also some unexpected finds from totally unknown young artists who should be charging a lot more for intensively loved and crafted art books and fine-printed zines.
In between all of this magic, take lots of breaks for refreshments.
You can find out more about Louise and her work at the following:
instagram.com/louise.rouse.art
instagram.com/louises_love_letters
facebook.com/louise.prints.art/
louiserouse.com (empty at the moment though but for posterity… when i get it back up)
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00（Tentative）
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
Our fourth interview in our Tokyo Art Book Fair 2017 with Art Byte Critique artists is Nick West.
Name: Nick West
From: Brighton, UK.
Time in Japan: 7 years.
How many TABF have you participated in?
TABF 2017 will be my second artist book fair that I’ve participated in. In both years I showed my work with artists from the collective Art Byte Critique.
How long have you been making books?
I have been making books, on and off, since about 1998.
What is your favorite kind of books to make?
I’ve always been drawn to the physicality of books so I like to make books that emphasise their sculptural characteristics.
Do you have favorite materials to use?
I like to use simple materials. Just paper, thread and glue.
What kind of books are you making for this fair?
Actually, I’ve spent some time working on an installation in a gallery in the UK this summer. This work entailed making 26 circular-bound books cut in shapes that approximate letters of the alphabet. Although there isn’t room for the whole work at TABF, I’ll be exhibiting some images and an example book from this project alongside a separate blueprint.
What did you learn from last book fair? What are you doing differently for this book fair?
The best thing I saw was that the delight that people take from thumbing through books. I hope to give visitors a more tactile appreciation of my works this year.
Do you have any art book heroes?
Not art book heroes, as such, but I’ve long been interested in a French group called Oulipo. Roughly translated, ‘Oulipo’ means ‘the potential for literature’. They aren’t so well known but they were a group of writers during the 1960s who devised various ways of writing using constrained techniques. One novel, ‘A Void’ was even told without the letter e.
Do you have any advice for people who want to start making books?
Make the book you want to read.
Do you have any advice for people coming to the book fair?
There’s always loads to see at TABF. Give yourself plenty of time to get lost in the books on display.
You can find out more about Nick West and his work at:
https://www.facebook.com/nickweststudio/
Twitter – @nwestmeetseast
https://www.canvas.co.com/creatives/nick-west
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00（Tentative）
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
Photo courtesy of the artist.
This blog first appeared at The Spendy Pencil.
The third interview of the Art Byte Critique’s 2017 Tokyo Art Book Fair participating artists is with Yuko Kamei.
From: Japan
Time in Japan: Most of my life except 5 years in U.K.
Education/ Occupation: MFA Fine Art & BA Dance Studies
Yuko works full time while continuing her practice
How many TABF have you participated in?
This year will be my second time participating in TABF.
How long have you been making books?
My first art book came out in 2009 as part of “on concrete” exhibition which I organised together with Jörg Obergfell and Sebastian Stumpf. Working with a graphic designer in Leipzig, Germany, it was a fun collaborative project from conception to materialisation. I worked on a similar publication in 2013 with Hikaru Miyakawa along with the show titled “Platonic Obsession”. For this one I took all the initiative from the layout to selecting paper, ink color, and binding methods.
I began to take book making more seriously recently especially after my first TABF in 2016. I think I will produce more in the coming years.
What is your favorite kind of books to make?
I like books with a feel of somewhere between DIY and mechanical reproduction, which might explain why I employ photography as a main medium.
What kind of books are you making for this fair?
The new book is called “The Great Stillness”, and it is based on a photo series which I have been working on since 2012. Each picture was taken to be printed in a large size so that one can see both the whole scene and details, but for turning them into a book I wanted it to be a handy pocketable size while keeping the in-and-out movement of picture viewing. This is gradually determining the book structure, and I would like to be playful about combining different methods of printing. Like music, this will be the first remix of the ongoing project, and there could be many more versions to come.
What did you learn from last book fair? What are you doing differently for this book fair?
The great thing I learned last year was that people who will buy my book exist. Someone I don’t know took my book in his/her hand, flipped it through, liked it, and brought it home. My idea somehow clicked their mind, and I think that is very special. Because of this I am approaching this year’s TABF little more confidently. I hope it happens again this year.
How did working with Art Byte Critique help you prepare your work?
ABC for me is a serious yet inclusive place where I can be myself and fuelled to do what I do. Going to the monthly get-together helps me to get back on track and be productive.
What would you like people to know about your books?
Making books is like creating a framework to perch upon for the ideas that float inside my head. It is becoming an important medium for me apart from photography.
You can see more of Yuko’s work at:
http://yuccak.net
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00（Tentative）
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
Photo courtesy of the artist. This blog post also appeared on www.thespendypencil.wordpress.com
Arthur Huang took time out to do a Q &A session for the interview series with Art Byte Critique members participating in the Tokyo Art Book Fair. TABF runs from October 5 to October 8th.
Name: Arthur Huang
From: United States
Time in Japan: Eight years
Occupation: Artist / Researcher
How many TABF have you participated in?
2017 will be the fourth time that I have participated in the Tokyo Art Book Fair.
How long have you been making books?
I have been making artist’s books and zines off and on for the last four years
What is your favorite kind of books to make?
I like to make books which have something unique or unusual in their structure and form.
Do you have favorite materials to use?
I have a fondness for transparent and translucent materials although those materials can be a challenge to translate into book form.
What is the biggest challenge for you when you make a book?
Finding a balance between content and form like any other creative genre continues to be the biggest challenge for me. I often struggle with finding a unique form that does not overpower or silence the content of the book.
What kind of books are you making for this fair?
I am going to publish the second issue in my Dialogue zine series where I take my practice of Daily Drawings and translate that to book form. For the second issue, I am going to shrink the size of the zine and focus on the development on one drawing rather than two opposing drawings. The second issue will be more of an internal dialogue.
I am also going to publish the first 2016 Memory Walks artist book. I have worked with my Memory Walks project regularly in book form over the last four years. The sequential and archival nature of that project seems to lend itself well to the book form. For the 2016 Memory Walks Artist’s Book Project, I will create a series of 12 books, one for each month, which will consist of images from my 2016 Memory Walks eggshell drawings. The books will hopefully be released each month with the inaugural release being October 2016. The size and form of the books will resemble and eggshell, that is smaller and round. That is all I will say about the book itself so as to encourage you to come out to TABF 2017 in October!
What did you learn from last book fair? What are you doing differently for this book fair?
Every year at the TABF is different. You never know where your booth is going to be, you cannot control the weather, and you cannot control who buys your books. I think like any other creative endeavour, I have decided that I will focus on making books and zines that interest me process-wise.
Do you have any art book heroes?
Brian Dettmer and Maya Lin
Do you have any advice for people who want to start making books?
Just start with some blank pieces of paper and learn how to create the book structures you are interested in. Worst case, you have a spare memo pad in book form, best case, you have an awesome new notebook for yourself.
How did working with Art Byte Critique help you prepare your work?
It is also helpful to know that other people are working towards the same goal as you. Ever since the first time ABC participated in the TABF in 2014, there have always been a group of artists that want to work towards the next year’s TABF. There are also artists who have never made artist’s books or zines that find their way into that world. And the regular meetings, of course, as it always helps to have deadlines.
Do you have any advice for people coming to the book fair?
If you have the time, I suggest going through the entire book fair rather quickly to scout out booths that catch your eye. On the second pass, take your time visiting booths that pique your interest. Talk with the artists. Divide your budget for buying books and zines over the number of days you are planning to visit, so you can buy that last minute discovery.
Learn more about Arthur and his work or follow him on social media:
www.arthurjhuang.com (Website)
arthurjhuang.wordpress.com (Blog)
Instagram: @lifeasaconsumer
Twitter: @lifeasaconsumer
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00（Tentative）
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
The Tokyo Art Book Fair 2017 is a month away! Five Art Byte Critique members will be at a table with six artists’ new work and favorites from previous years. Please stop by and say hi. We have a series of interviews with the six participants. We start with Canadian artist, Lori Ono.
NAME: Lori Ono
NATIONALITY: Canadian
TIME IN JAPAN: About 20 years
How many TABF have you participated in?
This is my fourth time to participate. I’m just as excited as the first time but maybe less nervous. I can’t wait to see what other book artists will make.
What is the biggest challenge for you when you make a book?
Finding the best form for a book or page layout is fun but challenging. I want to try unusual material or create unusual shapes.
What kind of books are you making for this fair?
I started a zine series called MaiNichiMushroom Magazine and I’m trying to finish the series for TABF. The Case of the Golden Mushroom is an illustrated chapter book and Water Safety is a felt and embroidered book. I’m also making different mamebon.
How did working with Art Byte Critique help you prepare your work?
I have a tendency to make things too complicated or over-engineer. My ABC colleagues really help me to edit my ideas.
Do you have any advice for people coming to the book fair?
Talk to the book artists! Don’t be shy about asking questions.
You can find Lori and her work at:
Blog: www.thespendypencil.wordpress.com
Instagram: loriono_thespendypencil
Twitter: @thespendypencil
Tokyo Art Book Fair is at Warehouse TERRADA
2-6-10 Higashishinagawa Shinagawa-ku Tokyo
Preview/Reception and Hours and Admission
October 5th (Thu) 15:00-21:00（Tentative）
Admission: 1,000 yen
Free Admission and Hours:
October 6th (Fri) 12:00-20:00
October 7th (Sat) 12:00-20:00
October 8th (Sun) 11:00-19:00
We are now busy preparing a presentation for a group exhibition proposal, but here’s just a taste of what else we have in the works!
Art Byte Critique was recently included in INDIE Magazine’s article “Game Changing Art Collectives to Check Out”
Sept 9 – Oct 9 – 2017 Nakanojo Bienniale Arthur J Huang and Yuka Otani are among the over 150 artists participating in the sixth edition
Sept 28 – Oct 1 Mia Oo will have work and be attending the 3rd Mokuhanga International Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii
Oct 5 – 8: Art Byte Critique received great news this past Sunday that we have been included in the upcoming 2017 Tokyo Art Book Fair for the 4th year in a row! 6 of us are participating this year, coordinated this year by Lori Ono. Also participating are Yuko Kamei, Louise Rouse, Arthur J Huang, Patty Hudak, & Nick West
Oct 6 – First Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii – Deanna Gabiga will have a show of new works at Chinatown Lofts
Expect to see work by Michelle Zacharias to pop-up in Kyoto near the end of October/early November.
Ruri Clarkson – She is keeping us in suspense with a new (still secret!!) project 
🙂 In the meantime she has posted work at www.chromatope.com
Current Call for Entries
September 20, 2017
Interlude: Unfinished Works Call for Entries at Target Gallery (VA, USA)
$35 entry fee
English application
September 24, 2017
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Artist in Residence
$35 entry fee
English application
September 25, 2017
Shibuya Awards
4000 yen / entry (up to 3 entries)
Japanese application
September 30, 2017
Working Artist Grant
$20 entry fee
English application
September 30, 2017
Society for Contemporary Craft (PA), International Call for Entries: 2018 Lydon Emerging Artist Program
Entry fee, but unclear about exact amount
English application
October 2, 2017
Tokyo International Photography Competition 2017: Borders
$40 entry fee per series
English/Japanese application
October 5, 2017
2018 S&R Foundation Washington Award
No entry fee
English application
December 21, 2017
The 14th Oita Asian Sculpture Exhibition Call for Entries!
No entry fee (50 years old and under)
English/Japanese application
Rolling submission for 2017
Venison Magazine
No entry fee
English application
Websites Listing Art Competitions
Compedia (Japanese)
Compe (Japanese)
Higashiyama Artists Placement Service (Japanese)
Call for Entries Archives / 作品募集古文書
(These links are usually from the previous year’s event)
January
Gallery PARC Art Competition
No entry fee
Japanese application
January
Koganecho Artist In Residence
No entry fee
English and Japanese application
February
Spiral independent Creators Festival
No entry fee
Japanese and English application
February
apexart Franchise Program
No entry fee
English application
March
Sapporo International Short Film Festival International Open Call
No entry fee
Japanese and English application
March
Akiyoshidai International Artist Village (AIAV) Fellowship Program
No entry fee
Japanese and English application
March
BankArt Artist in Residence
No entry fee
Japanese application
April
Art In The Office
No entry fee
Japanese application
April
Trolls in the Park
No entry fee
Japanese application
May
Rokkosan Meets Art
No entry fee
Japanese application
May
Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair
No entry fee
English application
May
Tokyo Midtown Award
No entry fee
Japanese application / 39 years old and under
June
No Dead Artists Juried Exhibition at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
$30 entry fee
English application
June
Canon New Cosmos of Photography
¥3,000
Japanese application
June
New Art Center Curatorial Opportunity Program
No entry fee
English application
July
Tobikan Selection Group Exhibition of Contemporary Artists
No entry fee
Japanese application
August
Lumine Meets Art Award
No entry fee
Japanese application
August
Sustainable Arts Foundation Grants for Writers and Artists with Children
$15 entry fee
English application
November
Shiseido Art Egg
No entry fee
Japanese application
December
Epson Photo Grand Prix
No entry fee
Japanese application
Through 9.9.17
Manabu Ikeda – “Rebirth”
Mizuma Art Gallery Ichigaya
Through 9.9.17
Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Toki-no-Wasuremono
Through 9.10.17
“Just R/Light”
Akibatamabi 21
Through 9.15.17
Emi Hamano – “Trace of Uncertainty”
Open Letter
Through 9.18.17
“Art is Science”
Karuizawa New Art Museum
Through 9.22.17
Yoshinobu Nakagawa – “Surfacism”
Taguchi Fine Art
Through 9.22.17
Maija Tammi – “White Rabbit Fever”
Kana Kawanishi Photography
Through 9.23.17
Genichiro Inokuma & Daido Moriyama – “Cityscape”
Sakurado Fine Arts
Through 9.25.17
Tobias Klein – “Augmented Mask”
The Container
Through 9.29.17
“Phenomenon: Plateless Printing Combined with Fine Paper”
Mihoncho Honten
Through 9.29.17
John Zurier – “At the very end of the blue sky”
The Club
9.2 – 9.30.17
“On Paper – Monochrome & Colors”
Gallery MoMo Projects
Through 10.1.17
“Grand Projects: How Far Will You Go?”
21_21 Design Sight
9.2 – 10.1.17
Goro Maruyama – “Disenchanting the Image in Order to Sit down and Look”
G/P Gallery
9.1 – 10.5.17
Brian Alfred – “Techno Garden”
Maho Kubota Gallery
9.9 – 10.9.17
Nakanojo Biennale 2017
Nakanojo, Gunma
Through 10.15.17
Barry McGee + Clare Rojas – “Big Sky Little Moon”
Watari Museum of Contemporary Art
Through 10.23.17
“Sun shower: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now”
Mori Art Museum
Through 10.31.17
Emmanuel Saulnier – “ATM tempo I/II/III: Tribute to Thelonious Monk”
Maison Hermes
Through 11.5.17
“Yokohama Triennale 2017 – Islands, Constellations and Galapagos”
Yokohama Museum of Art
Through 11.5.17
“Koganecho Bazaar 2017 – Double Facade: Various ways to encounter others”
Site A Gallery and Shop
Art Byte Critique 