This was the second event in the series Reading Artists’ Books, a collaborative project by Regine Ehleiter and Tabea Nixdorff, initiated in memory of the Chicago-based librarian, curator, artist and author Doro Boehme (1957-2020). It developed from an art history class on Writing as Artistic Practice at HGB Leipzig. The seminar focused on experimental and literary texts by contemporary artists since the 1960s that were presented in books and exhibitions, including the writings of Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, Bernadette Mayer, Kathy Acker, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, David Wojnarowicz and, more recently, Benedikt Bock, Heman Chong, Keren Cytter, Pure Fiction, Natalie Häusler, Glenn Ligon, Hanne Lippard, Luzie Meyer, and Ciáran Walsh. After an introduction, guests and students read from a selection of books related to the topic of the class. Each reading slots was about 10 minutes long. The event was live-streamed. A limited amount of people joined the readings on site at the library.
Reading Order:
3 p.m.
Introduction Regine Ehleiter (Institute of Theory, HGB Leipzig), reading excerpt no. 1 from “To the Last Native Speakers of Silence” (unpublished) by Doro Boehme (1957-2020)
3.15 p.m.
David Maroto (artist, Rotterdam): “The Fantasy of the Novel” (Milano: Mousse, 2019)
3.30 p.m.
Ciarán Walsh (artist, Berlin): “The Sickness, Book One” (Berlin: TFGC Publishing, 2017)
3.40 p.m.
Claudia de la Torre (artist, Berlin): “Side A” (Berlin: backbonebooks, 2019), altered excerpts from the Sci-Fi novel “Cities in Flight” by James Blish (1921-1975)
3.50 p.m.
Elena Strempek (Halle 14 Art Library, Leipzig): “TMI and the ministry of home” (2019, unpublished)
4 p.m.
Cathleen Schuster & Marcel Dickhage (artist duo, Berlin), reading from “Bottroper Protokolle” (1968) and “Frauen – Versuche zur Emanzipation” (1970) by Erika Runge (*1939)
4.10 pm
Sonya Schönberger (artist, Berlin): “Sturm of Love. Brüche” (Berlin: Monroe Books, 2022)
4.20 pm
Carsten Tabel (artist, Leipzig) reading excerpts from “Der gute Koch” (unpublished) with imagery by Felix Bielmeier (artist, Leipzig)
4.35 p.m.
Peter Sipos (student, German Institute for Literature Leipzig), reading the text “Brocken” from his book project (work in progress)
4.45 p.m.
Michael Riedel (Prof., Painting in the Context of Fine Arts, HGB Leipzig): “Abstract No.1” (Leipzig: Spector Books, 2022)
5 p.m.
Lucia Graf (student, HGB Leipzig), reading her text “I See a Baguette in a Handbag”, published in: Pfeil Magazine 15 – Bread (London: Montez Press, 2022)
5.10 p.m.
Sophie Polheim (student, HGB Leipzig), reading from Hanne Lippard: “Sentencessayes” (Berlin: Goldrausch Künstlerinnenprojekt, 2012)
5.20 p.m.
Sijo Choi Kim (student, HGB Leipzig), reading passages from “Dictée” by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951-1982)
5.30 p.m.
Open slot for last minute student readings
5.45 p.m.
Regine Ehleiter reading excerpt no. 2 from “To the Last Native Speakers of Silence” (unpublished) by Doro Boehme.
Special thanks to Teresa Rudolf for creating a visual for the event.