Ex libris - the book in contemporary art

New and existing works by eight contemporary artists who use the physical form of the book as inspiration. Each artist manipulates the book form, re-purposing and investing new life in publications at a time when the relevance and future of the printed book is questioned. Chris Bond paints new covers for paperback novels in a trompe l’oeil fashion; Penelope Davis makes silicon molds of old volumes to create luminous photograms; Danny Digby photographs the endpapers and due date slips of library books; with reference to cartography Nicholas Jones carves the form of remote islands into the covers and pages of books; Aliza Levi photographs the spines of books that reveal early attitudes towards Australia’s Indigenous population; Tom Nicholson photographs title pages and juxtaposes these in compelling ways; Patrick Pound’s archival-based installation brings together publications with references to lightness and darkness; and Kylie Stillman carves detailed forms into stacked paperbacks.