Temple Bar Gallery + Studios has unveiled the lineup for the 14th edition of the Dublin Art Book Fair (DABF), scheduled for November 21 through December 1, 2024. Under this year’s theme, ‘Fictions: The makings of other worlds’, Ireland’s premier art book fair offers a curated selection of publications that explore the transformative nature of art, literature, and activism through a diverse array of artists and independent publishers.

 

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A highlight of DABF is Sermon of the Body Only by Day Magee, a Dublin-based artist exploring the intersections of queerness, religion, and ideology. Magee’s pamphlet delves into the subtle influences of religious ideology on personal and societal behaviours, combining text and visuals inspired by Evangelical Protestant aesthetics.

Another remarkable entry is Homemade Undercuts by Belfast-based photographer Ellen Blair, who captures themes of queer joy, community, and intimacy through imagery deeply rooted in her personal experiences. In a similar vein, Emily Roche’s Knit Happens captures the escapist joy found within a Dublin-based knitting circle, creating a narrative that celebrates friendship and shared creativity.

The fair also features A Love Letter to the Netherlands by Ewan Power, a photographic chronicle of queer identity and belonging shaped by the artist’s time in the Netherlands. Francis Whorrall-Campbell’s zine, THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT HAVE BEEN DOWNLOADED, takes readers into a speculative future, narrating the story of two protagonists on intersecting quests to confront gender dysphoria and existential crises across time and space.

In The Cesspool of Rapture, Joseph Noonan-Ganley presents a collection of writings spanning more than a decade, exploring identity formation through a blend of personal narratives and historical reflections on art, teaching, and exhibition spaces. Léann Herlihy’s a cartography of the middle of nowhere offers a speculative mapping of “queer nowhere,” navigating the boundaries between geographic and cultural spaces.

The fair also showcases independent publishers like SMUT Press, known for spotlighting queer perspectives. Among their offerings is Cruising Archaeology, an exploration of queer cruising culture in London, which reconstitutes found objects from cruising sites into cultural artefacts. The pocket-sized publication provides insight into the material traces of queer histories. Another notable work, What Began As Desire, compiles intimate postcards by various artists that blur the lines between public and private, capturing queer moments of vulnerability and resilience. 

Dutch publisher Valiz presents Queer Exhibition Histories, a critical volume documenting LGBTQ+ art exhibitions that often operated outside traditional art spaces. Through archival efforts and personal recollections, this work preserves the legacy of these groundbreaking projects, which have shaped queer representation in contemporary art.

The fair also features Lesbian Art Circle, a Dublin and London-based culture club and publication that offers a space for queer women and people of marginalised genders to engage with art, ideas and each other. Their third volume was published earlier in September, featuring creative writing, nonfiction essays, and visual art from talented queer creators.

In addition to art and literature, DABF’s Artists’ Raffle returns, featuring pieces donated by artists Clodagh Emoe, Brian Fay, Fergus Feehily, Jesse Jones, Atsushi Kaga, Aileen Murphy, and Kathy Tynan. Proceeds from the raffle will support Médecins Sans Frontières’ humanitarian efforts in Palestine and Lebanon, as the crisis there continues to escalate. The raffle opens online on November 19, with works displayed in the gallery’s atrium throughout the fair.

The Dublin Art Book Fair is not only a celebration of artistic expression but a platform for critical conversations on identity, activism, and community-building within and beyond the world of art.