Überklebt: Plakate aus der DDR

Interesting piece by Jessica Jenkins on Eye Magazine’s blog today about Überklebt, an exhibition on now in Berlin which features hundreds of posters from the former East Germany, spanning the whole period from just after the Second World War until the fall of the Wall in 1989. The show is curated by Sylke Wunderlich of Stiftung Plakat Ost, a non-profit organisation set up to preserve the GDR’s rich culture of poster art.

The exhibition runs until 17 August 2012.

Überklebt – Plakate aus der DDR
Unter den Linden 40 
2nd Floor 

10117 Berlin
Exhibition webpage

Pictured: Die burg stellt aus, by Funkat (1948) via Eye magazine

Leipzig Book Fair 2012

Last weekend I visited the Leipziger Buchmesse. Although it’s primarily a trade fair, it seems to be very public-friendly (it attracts more than 160,000 visitors over four days); when I went, the place was swarming with cosplay enthusiasts drawn to a competition in the manga and comics hall.

One of the more interesting areas for me was the Marktplatz Druckgrafik and Buch + Art section, where printmakers, letterpress practitioners, bookbinders and book artists gave demonstrations and showcased their work – something of a celebration of print.

It was also interesting to note the presence of quite a number of Germany’s art schools, whose graphic design and illustration students evidently produce work each year specifically for the fair. I wonder whether many of them end up working for publishers as a direct result of the Leipzig show.

While the Frankfurt Book Fair is bigger and perhaps more international in scope – Leipzig is very much concerned with the German-speaking publishing world – there was much here to be enjoyed for readers of all stripes.

More photos here.