Books as…

Books and Contemporary Art in the Exhibition 'Books as…' at the House of the Book From September 15, 2024, to February 16, 2024 This fall, Huis van het Boek will showcase books from its own collection alongside works by contemporary artists, including Shani Leseman, An Onghena, Jorge Méndez Blake, and Hans Op De Beeck. The exhibition 'Books as…' suggests various roles of books in our society and in our personal lives.

Through contemporary art and a carefully selected collection of diverse books, the exhibition highlights books in a range of positions, from talismans to tools. The Hague based artist, Shani Leseman will display numerous ceramic talismans, complemented by a new piece inspired by a 15th-century handwritten miniature book. People aim to impress others with their prestigious book covers, such as the 16th-century Grolier binding, or more recently, special editions of popular BookTok books. A 17th-century calligraphed instructional book for priests and bishops with helpful symbols in the margins serves as an example of a book as a tool. An Onghena's installation highlights the other side of the narrative by showcasing how the book itself can be a tool in creative and intellectual processes.. Attention is also given to book communities, from long-established, renowned societies to the rapidly growing BookTok community and phenomena like 'silent book clubs.' Visitors are invited to reflect on their own relationship with books and the communities to which they themselves belong.

Shani Leseman (1996), An Onghena (1992), Cathleen Owens (1992), and the artist duo Lisette Alberti (1996) and Rising Lai (1996) have created work specifically for this exhibition. Jorge Méndez Blake (1974), Hans Op de Beeck (1969), and Bouke de Vries (1960) are lending works.

Showcasing Books in Their Various Roles

The exhibition provides a platform for the different roles books play in our lives. Books as icons, books as a means to convey faith or solidarity, books to impress, books to smooth out a crumpled piece of paper, books to record family history, and much more. Communities of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter fans show that books can even be central to forming a group identity. Books can also be a space for personal notes or a place to escape into.

Hans Op De Beeck's 2021 ‘Asleep’ work focuses on introspection, a (personal) place to disappear, escape, fantasize. There is also the book as a memory of a person, family, or event. Consider the famous Rhyme Bible of the House of the Book from 1332, with notes about the family of one of the former owners at the front. Or a book purchased at a vacation destination that forever recalls that holiday. The installation by Rising Lai and Lisette Alberti also fits the theme of books as memories, and questions: who is actually in charge of that memory?