Simetría Doméstica - Libro de Artistas

Simetría Doméstica is a project by Estefanía Papescu. She is interested in the small investigations, annotations, drawings that an artist or writer may think are unpublishable or that will never leave the domestic sphere, but that are often foundational for those works that finally circulate in the art system or, simply, remain as suspended projects, but are not less poetic for that reason. These are the projects that have priority, the kitchen of artists and writers. 

The publishing space at Pinta BAphoto 2023 will be called Simetría Doméstica: Libros de artista, curated by its director, will focus on artist's books as rarities, vindicating books that are a piece of work, not a book of works. Priority will be given to publishers and projects whose general vision and objective is publishing as an artistic practice. At the tables there will be both national independent publishers, as well as individual tables and a collective table for artists' projects, contemporary photography magazines, among other details. Priority will be given in each conceptual subdivision of the tables to those dedicated to photography.

What happens if in the book format we do not find what we are used to see or read, if it is not a closed work; what if, instead, there are the first doubts, phrases, ideas, sketches, quick drawings, the practices of an artist?

The books and notebooks handmade by Argentine visual artists and writers are unique objects, of a moment, of a moment of distraction or of some experiments filed for years, a special micro-world, prior to the realization of any work and becoming, in turn, one. These are usually known or seen when the artists or writers die or are in impenetrable showcases in a museum where it is impossible to take advantage of their ideas, so from the editorial we wonder: What would happen if they begin to live, to circulate, to know each other? In order to avoid silence, we are planning several presentations of unique collective books by artists and writers, and several by single artists in order to follow in a parallel format, that of the book, the trajectories of these chosen artists. The first presentation of these unique books was held in September 2019 at the Nora Fisch art gallery. This time, since they were all of Argentine nationality, it was called Ceibes (name of the national flower in inclusive language). The chosen artists who participated were: Fernanda Laguna, Leticia Obeid, Cecilia Szalkowicz, María Guerrieri, Ana Clara Soler, Elisa Strada, Zoe Di Rienzo, Diana Drake, Maga Etchebarne, Nurit Kasztelan, Amalia Boselli, Max Gomez Canle, Javier Barilaro, Nicolás Robbio, Nicolás Dominguez Nacif and Emilio Bianchic. The second one, already with the physical space in the Ruth Benzacar Gallery (managed by the publishing house for a year and a half), was called Crisantemes and the participants were: Nahuel Vecino, Valeria Vilar, Claudia Del Río, Osvaldo Baigorria, Santiago Villanueva, Tiziana Pierri, Gonzalo León, María Rosa Andreotti, Gustavo Marrone and Mayra Vom Broke. The third one was in Munar during 3 Saturdays in July, it was called Girasoles and the participants were: Juan José Cambre, Laura Códega, Malena Pizani, Mariana López, Carrie Benzardino, Matías Ercole, Orlando Contrafatti and Mia Superstar. All the projects of the sole artists are called Bromelies and were presentations, in the kiosk of the Ruth Benzacar Gallery, of different periods of the artists: Marina De Caro (1983/2020), Diana Aisenberg (1998/2020) and Guillermo Iuso (2007/2010).

The fourth presentation was in the new physical space where the publishing house is currently open every week, the 3rd floor of the Miranda Bosch Gallery. It was called Fresies and was attended by: Antonella Agesta, Cynthia Cohen, Gimena Macri, Felipe Alvarez Parisi, Powerpaola, Iosi Havilio, Marcelo Torretta and Sofia Gallo. The fifth presentation was also in the physical space on the 3rd floor of the Miranda Bosch Gallery on October 29, 2022. It was called Guzmenies and the participants were: Dani Umpi, Cecilia Pavón, Sergio Bazan, Franco Fasoli, Manola Aramburu, Jackie Ludena and Pabli Stein. The publishing house currently has a collection of more than 130 unique books and two printed books of 6 different generations of Argentine artists, several Brazilian artists, one Chilean artist and one Colombian artist. It has three printed books, one is an experiment and work of Carolina Martinez Pedemonte and two are facsimiles of the notebooks of the collection to expand its circulation and make them more accessible, they are by the artists Powerpaola and Gimena Macri.

It was selected to participate in the artists' book fair of Arco Madrid in February 2022, that same year also of the Rare Book Fair, held at Ruth Benzacar and in June of the current MAC, Annual Contemporary Art Market of the province of Cordoba, to be part of the editorial section and participate in the discussion: The edition as an artistic practice. It was also part of various activities at the Museum of Modern Art, Museo del Traje, Metropole Gallery (São Paulo), Desape space (São Paulo) and various activities in workshops of visual artists.