Publishing as Artistic Practice in Contemporary Art

For decades, publishing in the art world was treated as a secondary activity. Books documented exhibitions, catalogues followed finished projects, and printed matter was largely perceived as supporting material. Over the past twenty years, this understanding has changed in a fundamental way. Publishing is no longer an appendix to artistic work. It has become a practice in its own right.

Artists today increasingly use books, zines and printed publications not to explain their work after the fact, but to produce meaning directly. Publishing has turned into a space where artistic thinking happens, circulates and develops independently of exhibitions and institutions.

From documentation to autonomous practice

The traditional role of art publishing was clear and functional. Catalogues archived exhibitions. Essays framed artistic movements. Monographs built professional narratives. In this model, publishing followed practice.

In contemporary art, the order is often reversed. Many projects now originate as publications and never become exhibitions at all. The book is not a trace of the work. It is the work.

Several structural shifts have driven this transformation. Affordable printing technologies have lowered production barriers. Artist-run spaces and collectives have multiplied across Europe. At the same time, many practitioners have grown skeptical of institutional mediation and short exhibition cycles.

Publishing offers something exhibitions rarely provide: duration. A book can be revisited, shared, annotated and re-read years later. It creates a sustained encounter with ideas rather than a fleeting spatial experience.

What makes publishing an artistic practice

Not every printed object qualifies as artistic practice. The difference lies in intent and integration. Publishing becomes a practice when it is conceived as an essential component of the artistic process rather than its documentation.

Several characteristics are typical in such cases. The publication is integral to the concept, not an afterthought. Editorial decisions are part of the artistic method. Distribution is considered meaningful, not neutral. The reader is treated as an active participant rather than a passive consumer.

Unlike unique art objects, publications move through hands and contexts. Their meaning evolves as they circulate. This mobility allows artistic ideas to exist beyond specific spaces and moments.

Formats commonly used by artists

Artists working with publishing tend to choose formats that allow experimentation and autonomy. Most commonly this includes:

• artist books and book-objects

• zines and self-published journals

• research-based readers

• collectively authored publications

These formats make it possible to work with sequence, material, typography and authorship in ways that exhibition spaces often restrict.

Independent publishing and self-organized networks

One of the strongest links between publishing and artistic practice is self-organization. Independent publishing enables artists to operate outside institutional structures while remaining part of a shared discourse.

Self-published works often emerge from artist-run initiatives, temporary collectives, research groups and informal networks. In these contexts, publishing is not primarily about visibility or market presence. It is about sustaining dialogue.

Platforms such as The Cologne Art Book Fair, commonly referred to as TCABF, illustrate this function clearly. Events of this kind operate less as commercial marketplaces and more as meeting points where artists, editors and designers exchange methods, references and experiences. The publication becomes a connector rather than a commodity.

Publishing as a form of knowledge production

Publishing as artistic practice plays a central role in contemporary artistic research. Unlike academic publishing, which prioritizes standardized formats and definitive conclusions, artistic publishing allows for uncertainty, subjectivity and open-ended inquiry.

This makes it particularly effective for process-based research, interdisciplinary exploration and critical reflection on practice. The publication functions as a thinking space rather than a final statement.

Traditional publishing vs publishing as artistic practice

Because of these differences, artist publications often resist clear categorization. They exist between artwork, archive and conversation.

Why print still matters in a digital environment

The continued relevance of print in contemporary art is not driven by nostalgia. It is a strategic choice. Digital platforms offer speed and reach, but they fragment attention and impose algorithmic visibility.

Print slows the encounter. It creates a bounded space for reading and reflection. Artists value printed matter because it provides material presence, controlled pacing and durability beyond digital platforms.

While online content can disappear or become inaccessible, printed publications remain readable decades later. Artist books from the 1960s and 1970s continue to inform current practices precisely because they exist as physical objects.

Circulation over consumption

In artistic publishing, success is rarely measured by sales figures. Circulation matters more than consumption.

A publication gains relevance when it is shared between peers, used in teaching contexts, cited in research or archived in public and semi-public collections. In this model, value emerges through movement and reuse rather than ownership.

This logic aligns closely with network-based platforms such as Praxis Network, where artistic practice, discourse and self-organized knowledge production intersect. Publishing within such environments becomes a way to sustain relationships and ideas rather than extract value from them.

Practical considerations for artists working with publishing

Treating publishing as practice requires careful planning. Artists often underestimate the editorial dimension of printed work.

Several factors consistently shape successful projects:

• clarity of intent before production

• alignment between concept and form

• realistic print runs based on distribution capacity

• early planning of circulation and archiving

Typical print runs in contemporary artistic publishing range from 150 to 500 copies. Smaller editions allow experimentation and flexibility. Larger runs require infrastructure, storage and long-term commitment.

Material choices also matter. Paper, binding and format influence how a publication is handled, read and remembered. These decisions directly affect the work’s reception.

Publishing as a shared space for practice

Publishing as artistic practice continues to evolve. Hybrid formats combining print with performative or digital elements are becoming more common. Yet the printed object remains central.

What sustains this practice is not technology but intention. As long as artists seek spaces for sustained thinking, slow exchange and shared authorship, publishing will remain vital.

The book is no longer a conclusion. It functions as a beginning, a method and a shared space where artistic practice unfolds over time.