Here's a round-up of upcoming art and design-related book talks around New York City.
As summer unfolds in New York City, a plethora of new books on art, architecture, and urban planning are set to release. In this heat, there's no better way to escape than to head indoors and enjoy the vibrant world of architecture and design. Below, we've put together a handful of book talks that we recommend checking out. Whether you're a design enthusiast, a history buff, or simply curious about the structures that shape the city's infrastructure, these discussions promise to illuminate and inspire.
Tonight, June 27, 2024, GreenBox and ISLA will host a book discussion for the first presentation of Futuring Waters: A Speculative Manifesto for and from the Water by multidisciplinary artist Jenny Marketou. Held at alternative art space WhiteBox as part of its Expanded Narratives on Art and Ecology exhibition curated by Blanca de La Torre, the discussion will address “water” from a variety of prerogatives, calling for an interdisciplinary encounter between art and water culture, its ecological possibilities, politics, poetics and imaginaries.
Looking for a community to discuss art and design? Join the New York Architecture + Design Book Club, organized by Brooklyn's art and design bookstore Head Hi and design journal Untapped. Their next book selection is American Modern: Architecture; Community; Columbus, Indiana (Monacelli Press), with contributions by Matt Shaw and photographs by Iwan Baan. The definitive book on one of the foremost modernist cities and architecture destinations in the USA: Columbus, Indiana, the book dives into the midwestern city as a mecca of modern architecture. Join author Matt Shaw and designer Alex Lin of Studio Lin in conversation with landscape architect Sara Zewde of Studio Zewde on July 25 at Head Hi.
On July 11, 2024, Printed Matter Chelsea will host the book launch event for LOST IV by +KGP. This ten-book box set highlights the works of photographic artists, ranging from emerging talents to established figures, exploring themes such as gender, class, racism, and contemporary culture. Each book project delves into the evolving American landscape and the concept of individual empowerment. At the event, collaborating artists including Los Angeles-based photographer Peter Baker, Brooklyn-based, Vietnamese-Canadian artist Tracy Dong, and contemporary Israeli photographer Yoav Horesh, will discuss their projects and sign copies of their monographs, offering a unique opportunity to engage with their creative visions.
For a more interactive experience, head to The Met on June 28 to enjoy a presentation of independent artists’ books by Chinese-speaking creators, introduced by Shisi Huang, co-organizer of the Rehearsal Art Book Fair. Works on view include photobooks, zines, and other art publications from the Thomas J. Watson Library collection. Rehearsal team members Shisi Huang, Sixuan Tong, and Shuyu Peng, and Assistant Museum Librarian Raymond Lei will guide guests through the books, providing a forum for the curious to converge and delve into diverse perspectives on Chinese-speaking creators’ expressions in and through bookmaking.
Rather stay cool in your apartment? Check out the Center for Architecture’s Video Archive for recordings of book talks you may have missed, like Why Public Space Matters (Oxford University Press, 2022) or Louis I. Kahn: The Last Notebook (Lars Müller Publishers, 2024).