Thoughts on Artists' Books in East Germany

This article tries to question the western tradition in the production of artists' books by referring to the editions that are rooted in the so-called underground of the former GDR. As the state pressurized independent publishers, they used silk-screen printing or photocopiers to escape the attention of the censors. By keeping up a high quality of both text, often by unknown authors, and illustrations, they managed to take a firm stand in the totalitarian state they lived in. They were not interested in the production of fine books only for art's sake because this, in their opinion, lacked social relevance, which, in a time of global upheaval, should be integrated into the production of modern artists' books.

Reinhard Grüner