Tehran Zine’s presence at the Athens Art Book Fair was an opportunity to show our zines and also self published works by Iranian artists, this time in a very different setting.
The Athens Art Book Fair is an independent and artist led project that brings together Greek and international artists publications, with a focus on artistic practices that use publishing as their main form of expression, whether printed or online. The fair was founded in 2019 by Margarita Athanasiou and Michalis Pichler and is held every year in a different urban space.
Book fairs in general offer an experience very different from other art events. They can take place in many kinds of locations, from Offprint London inside Tate Modern to the Focal Point of Sharjah Art Foundation in Beit Obaid Al Shamsi, one of the historic buildings of the United Arab Emirates.
The Athens fair however showed its own character from the very beginning. The organisers chose a half abandoned passageway in the center of the city, a place that was once lively and full of activity but has been left empty over time because of economic conditions. At first glance the space did not have the usual beauty expected from an art event, yet with the presence of publishers from around the world and their works it came back to life.
Corridors that were once used for shopping became a space for culture and conversation for a few days. The contrast created not distance but a deep sense of connection between the city, its people and the world of art publishing.
It was exactly this contrast that shaped the spirit of the event, a feeling of perfect imperfection. A kind of beauty that comes out of cracks and irregularities. Just as the city of Athens carries complex layers of history, cultures and social changes and shows a living and multilayered coexistence, the book fair reflected the same identity.
Artists presented by Tehran Zine in this event:
Avazeh Almasi / Arash Bahrami / Tarlan Bitaraf / Sepand Danesh / Shiva Hajiabadi / Sohrab Kashani / Raha Kiani / Bahareh Labaf / Maryam Lashkari / Saghi Parkhideh / Amir Moghtada / Sanil saadati
