2024 Contemporary Artists' Book Conference Keynote Claudia de la Torre

The 2024 Contemporary Artists Books Conference (CABC) will focus on “Artists’ Books as Expanded Literacy.” The CABC planning committee asks: How can the artists’ book expand upon ideas of information and visual literacy, conceptions of language, data visualization, methods of presenting research, and beyond?

Join us at The Grolier Club on Monday, April 29, 2024, at 6pm for the 2024 CABC keynote presentation by speaker Claudia de la Torre. RSVP required.

Artists’ books can broaden our understanding of literacy beyond traditional forms of reading and writing. They serve as vehicles for expanding literacy skills by engaging readers in new ways of interpreting and interacting with visual and textual content. Unlike traditional books, which primarily rely on linear narratives and standardized formats, artists’ books encourage readers to navigate through complex visual and textual layers, challenging them to actively participate in the creation of meaning. The book form continues to engage artists across diverse disciplines, prompting questions about its enduring appeal and what drives artists to explore its possibilities. As an artist, publisher, and educator, De la Torre delves into the potential of publishing as an artistic practice. Through workshops conducted over the past five years, she has guided creatives in translating their ideas into tangible forms, highlighting the interactive nature of books where time, space, and material converge. During the talk, De la Torre will explore these concepts further, shedding light on the intricate relationship between form, concept and process in the book as medium. By exploring the interplay of text, image, and material, artists’ books not only broaden our understanding of literacy but also encourage critical engagement and creativity, opening new ways of reading.

Claudia de la Torre is a Mexican, Berlin-based artist, educator and independent publisher who creates artworks situated at the intersection of printed media, conceptual publications, and installation. Using the basic concept of a book as her guide, she examines the structures and relationships between surfaces, forms, and ideas. In 2011, de la Torre founded backbonebooks as an extension of her artistic practice, serving as a platform for publishing and conceptualizing artists’ books. Since 2021, she has been leading the Artists’ Books Workshop in her studio, collaborating with creatives who want to bring their ideas to life in book form. Through a processual, conceptual, and collaborative approach, she aims to open new perspectives on what a book can be.

De la Torre will talk about artists’ books as expanded literacy focused on her experience in her artists’ books conceptualization and production workshop, and the publishing community around her in Berlin.