Fully Booked Dubai 2018

Fully Booked returned to Dubai Art Week and Alserkal Avenue as the only art book fair in the United Arab Emirates.

Fully Booked returned to Dubai Art Week and Alserkal Avenue as the only art book fair in the United Arab Emirates. The fair serves as a platform to consider the medium of the artist book as a “multi-site”—a tactile, portable, and accessible form. This form allows for the creative and democratic dissemination of information, while simultaneously enabling peer-to-peer connections. Engaging with art books deescalates both cultural differences and the need for resources often required to purchase fine art.

The intention of the fair is to foster meaningful cultural exchanges between regional and international artist publishers, as well as the cultural practitioners and visitors present in Dubai during Art Week.

The art book fair features individuals, groups, collectives, artists, designers, creatives, and publishers producing and working in the mediums of printed matter, books, prints, magazines, publications, and multiples. A mail-in exhibition of printed work from around the world accompanies vendors present at the fair.

Fully Booked 2018 is a project presented by Misk Art Institute.

Artist & Designer Commissions

Yusef Alahmad, Curator, Huroof/حروف Graphic Design from the Middle East: Explorations in Contemporary Typography

Yusef Alahmad is a Saudi graphic designer and artist based in Washington, DC, USA. He completed his MFA degree in graphic design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in December 2016. He works as an independent designer, alternating between graphic design projects, editorial illustrations, and art commissions. His work has been exhibited in numerous shows around the world.

Shamma Buhazza, Designer Commission, PhotoTex Wall Mural & 2018 Fair Tote Bag

Buhazza’s typographic treatment of the phrase “Halla Walla”, which roughly means “What’s up?” or “Welcome,” translates language and slang into visual forms. Buhazza is a designer from Abu Dhabi based in Germany working as a graphic designer with Adidas.

Exhibition within Fully Booked

Huroof / حروف
Graphic Design from the Middle East: Explorations in Contemporary Typography

Curated by Yusef Alahmad

Typography is one of the main and most important elements of graphic design. In the Middle East, typography has evolved over time from its roots as a calligraphic medium. Increased access to tools, technology, and points of inspiration has continually influenced designers and artists.

“Huroof” (in English, “Letters”) is curated to cultivate an appreciation for design and typography in and from the Middle East by showcasing contemporary work that celebrates the expressiveness and fluidity of the region’s languages. For “Huroof,” Alahmad curated typographic posters by 40 designers in a wall-length display within the Alserkal Avenue warehouse, setting the stage for Fully Booked.

Programming Schedule

Fair programming was developed in partnership with the Crossway Foundation; Gulf Photo Plus; Ladies, Dine & Design Dubai; and Tashkeel.

Saturday, March 17

10:00–13:00; Off-Site Program: Corina Reynolds (Small Editions) Bookbinding Techniques Workshop
Corina Reynolds – Director and Co-Founder of Small Editions (New York) – led a 3-hour introductory bookbinding workshop. Participants folded accordion books and explored sewn pamphlets with paper covers, walking away with three books and a simple instruction manual for replicating the techniques learned.

Monday, March 19

15:00–16:00; In Dialogue: Laura El-Tantawy & Mashid Mohadjerin on the Photography Book as Exhibition Space
In collaboration with Gulf Photo Plus, photographers Mashid Mohadjerin and Laura El-Tantawy discussed the role of photo books as a platform for disseminating work. El-Tantawy and Mohadjerin shared their insight and lessons learned in relation to their experience with bookmaking and self-publishing.

18:00–22:00; Fair Opening with Vendor Book Launches

Friday, March 23

15:00–16:30; Live Fully Booked Tote Bag Screen-Printing with Toil & Tinker

17:00–18:00; Panel Discussion: Why do we make what we make?
How does culture, language, situation, gender, audience, or experience play a role in the translation of art, design, or published media? Moderated by Ladies, Dine & Design Dubai.

Saturday, March 24

14:00–17:00; Open Mic Readings & Talks Program
A selection of the fair’s international vendors presented readings from their titles and conversations related to their printed matter and publishing practices.