Foreword
by Wibke Bartkowiak 

Contemporary book art does not mind borders, because all over the world book artists work with materials which correspond to the conditions of their countries and create their unique works with them.

For more than five years the BuchDruckKunst society has been aiming to help contemporay book art to more public interest by presenting international book artists at fairs and exhibitions and by creating contacts between artists, authors, libraries, museums and collectors.

While similar thoughts, texts, materials and working techniques are used in Europe we get to know very little about works from foreign cultures, from far away continents.

Through the opening of the library in 2002 in Alexandria/Egypt and the contacts of the book artist Dr. Erich Paproth to Arab collegues the BuchDruckKunst society has succeeded for the first time to present a number of book art works from the Arab countries at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2004 as well as at the Norddeutsche Handpressenmesse Hamburg 2005.

The works of the Arab book artists fascinate with their unique blaze of colours and lay-out, their highly imaginative translation of text and picture as well as the use of unusual materials. Last but not least the strange script holds great aesthetic attraction for us.

Across all borders the exchange of contemporary book art contributes to the peaceful understanding of the peoples.

We thank the management of Frankfurt Book Fair, especially Mr Volker Neumann, our curator Dr. Erich Paproth, the sponsors and all the partaging artists from the Arab nations for their helpful support.

Wibke Bartkowiak
President
BuchDruckKunst e.V.

info@buchdruckkunst.de
www.buchdruckkunst.de