Robin Waart: Library Ideal Ideal Library

In the organizer's words:

A library is both a community of books and the place that houses them. In contrast to the closed form of the individual books, the neighborhoods, relationships and cross-references come to the fore on the shelves. What discourses and networks are gathered here in one place?

At the center of the exhibition Library Ideal Ideal Library is an identical duplicate of the library at Kunstraum Lakeside in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee - an unsystematic collection of artist and theory books that has grown in line with the program since it was founded. Last year, Robin Waart contacted authors, publishers and institutions represented in the library for his exhibition in Klagenfurt in order to compile a copy of the library.

From March, this doubled library will be inscribed as a guest in the infrastructure of the IDEAL in order to develop a second parallel life in the new context, with a different audience and different opening hours.

Books never exist alone, every library is also one among many. During the exhibition, Robin Waart will be in conversation with art and cultural scientist Regine Ehleiter and two other artistic library projects by Samuel Bich and Claudia de la Torre to discuss the different paratextual structures and strategies used by the artists.

The Lakeside Library? Library will be expanded with new entries by the participating artists and the project will be accompanied by a new collaborative publication.

Event dates

Exhibition opening
March 20, 6 pm

Artist Talk
Regine Ehleiter x Robin Waart / Library Projects
March 24, 6 p.m.

Artist Talk
Claudia de la Torre x Robin Waart / The Questions Library
April 14, 4 p.m.

Artist Talk
Samuel Bich x Robin Waart / Cathrin Pichler Library
May 05, 6 pm

The exhibition is curated by Gregor Peschko and made possible by the support of the Mondriaan Fund, the Dutch Embassy and the Cultural Office of the City of Leipzig. The project is also part of the accompanying program of the Leipzig Book Fair and the guest country Netherlands and Flanders.