Design by Sam Kim

On Saturday 19 September we celebrate the launch of How to Spend an Hour in an Art Book Archive, by our Archivist in Residence, Sam Kim from Common Imprint (Berlin). The publication was composed over the past months in collaboration between Common Imprint and PrintRoom, with contributions by invited archivists-for-one-hour.

We start with a short tour through the exhibition (Un)shared Titles: Book Book Festival in Seoul × PAGES Fukuoka Art Book Fair, installed in PrintRoom’s Living Archive space since early July and open to visitors until October.

The book launch will be followed by a conversation among fellow archivists and reading room hosts, in which they will address the motivation to start an archive – and the way they activate it:

Sam Kim: Common Imprint Reading Room, Berlin
Jhen Chen: Limestone Books, Maastricht
Matthew James-Wilson: Heavy Manners Library, Los Angeles
Nell Donkers: Archive de Appel, Amsterdam
Karin de Jong: Living Archive PrintRoom, Rotterdam

Programme

Snacks and drinks provided

About Sam Kim and Common Imprint

Sam Kim (KR/DE) is a graphic designer, exhibition designer, and publisher who co-founded Common Imprint, a reading room and event space focused on Asian publications in Berlin, together with The Book Society, a publishing collective in Seoul. Common Imprint presents more than 1000 independent publications from Asia, functioning as a communal platform and laboratory for research into artist publishing from South, Southeast, and East Asia. The collective organises readings, events, workshops, and exhibitions with a focus on art, photography, film, design, and architecture.

left: (Un)Shared Titles: Book Book Festival in Seoul × PAGES Fukuoka Art Book Fair, right: Sam Kim / Common Imprint at the Books Are Bridges Art Book Fest 2026

More information about the participants

Heavy Manners is a lending library, gallery, and bookstore in Los Angeles, that focuses on self and independently published books, zines, and other media. The library provides a space for developing, sharing, and discussing artwork and creative practice, working directly with artists and small publishers, to make overlooked, out of print, and hard to find media accessible. Heavy Manners Library was founded by Matthew James-Wilson in 2021.

Since 2002 Nell Donkers has managed the archive (library, archive and collection) of De Appel in Amsterdam and made it digitally and physically accessible. The archive represents the memory of De Appel and has become a knowledge- and meeting place for researchers, artists and art lovers, wherein Donkers plays a connecting role. In different set-ups Donkers initiates and organises presentations and events with and about the rich history of De Appel using ephemera and digitised audio and video. In addition, she invites contemporary artists who work with themes like archiving, bookmaking, systemising and use the tactic of “story in storytelling.”

Limestone Books is an art bookshop in Maastricht, founded in late 2022 by five Taiwanese cultural workers living in the Netherlands. Through its diverse, multilingual, and non-Western perspectives in its selection and programming, the bookshop has gradually become a gathering place for diasporic communities. Limestone Books invited more than ten local groups and art collectives to each contribute 20 books. These contributions were integrated with its existing archives to form a collective library, offering membership to nearby residents so they can borrow books for free. The collection continues to evolve over time, shaped and influenced by the local community and responding to current sociopolitical realities.

PrintRoom hosts a dynamic collection of artist publications named ‘The Living Archive’ (since 2003). The collection also represents PrintRoom’s history as a platform for artist publishing. In addition to the publications collected, it contains rich documentation of past events, workshops, or gatherings in the form of photos, videos, and recordings, but also printed ephemera such as flyers, posters, business cards, invitations, letters, and other evidence materialising a network of relations between individuals and collectives in the field of artistic publishing. The Living Archive is a long-term project that intends to structure, historiographically narrate, and ultimately activate PrintRoom’s ever-growing collection as a living, dynamic resource.

Thu 13.08. 13-17
Fri 14.08. closed ~~
Sat 15.08. 13-17
Thu 20.08. 13-17
Fri 21.08. closed ~~
Sat 22.08. closed ~~
Thu 27.08. 13-17
Fri 28.08. closed ~~

Sat 29.08. 13-17From September, back to Thursday till Saturday from 12-18 🙂

Book Book Festival in Seoul × PAGES Fukuoka Art Book Fair

From 8 July until 19 September, Sam Kim of Common Imprint will be our Archivist in Residence.

Sam Kim presents a collection of Asian art publications gathered by Common Imprint; a reading room and project space in Berlin dedicated to archiving and showcasing Asian art publications. It has collected books by visiting ten art book fairs across fourteen cities. The more than 1,500 publi­cations gathered in this way encapsulate a multi-­layered experience of the publishing practices and the culture surrounding them—ranging from books created on the basis of the production and sharing of knowledge and solidarity, to those reflecting the environmental conditions of their respective regions.

However, the collecting process itself was one that constantly re-examined what is ‘shared’ and what is ‘not shared’. Many independent publications lack an ISBN, meaning they are, from the outset, excluded from distribution abroad. Furthermore, unfamiliar visual and written languages make it difficult to access their context. Eventually, unless one visits those places in person, these books remain in existence as something that is out of reach. Whilst some books easily cross borders to meet new readers, others are, by their very nature, limited to remaining within their region. Even when placed within the same collection, the boundary between what is shared and what is not already coexists within it. The exhibition title ‘(Un)shared Titles’ directly refers to this double state: the fact that a single collection is simultaneously a collection of individual titles with differing accessibility.

With this awareness, the Book Book Festival—a festival aimed at facilitating the sharing and expansion of networks for Asian publications—was organised in Seoul in 2025. The books presented in this exhibition comprise some 40 titles collected whilst preparing for the festival. Covering diverse themes ranging from visual arts and design to experimental formats, local community records and political engagement. They offer a broad cross-section of how independent publishing operates across Asia. The moment these books are placed together in a single space, items that would never otherwise have met become accidentally connected, and what was previously unshared is temporarily transformed into a state of sharing.

Following the conclusion of the Book Book Festival in Seoul in 2025, this collection was relocated to the Common Imprint Reading Room in Berlin, where it continued to connect with new readers. Afterwards, through an exhibition at the PAGES Fukuoka Art Book Fair in 2026, over 80 books donated by participants at the book fair were added to the collection. These newly added books, in line with the festival’s aim of ‘reading and ­communicating with one another’, trace a loose yet meaningful map. And now, (Un)shared Titles is forming yet another new bridge in Rotterdam. This exhibition is not an endpoint, but rather another starting point for future collaborations, further journeys, and the circulation of publications.

Sunday 5 July 2026, 12 – 6 pm

Join our 5th edition of the Books Are Bridges Art Book Fest at the clubhouse of SNV community garden with over 30 local and (inter)national artist publishers, who will present their latest publications. Expect a lively day filled with outdoor book presentations, a film screening in a garden house, workshops for all ages, conversations over books, music, tasty treats and beats.

Participants:  Alice Strete (NL), Alice Ladenburg, Amy Suo Wu (NL), Antoine Lefebvre / Artzines (FR), ABC [Artists’ Books Cooperative], Ash K (NL), Bebebooks (BE), Blob Shop Collective (NL), Building Fictions (NL), Common Imprint (DE), einBuch.haus (DE), Elise Ory (NL), Erika Hirose (NL), Errant Journal (NL), Fucking Good Art (NL), Further Reading (ID), Gloria Glitzer / we make it (DE), Hum Drum Press (NL), Ian Whittlesea (UK), Jap Sam (NL), Jesse Presse NL), Knust / Extrapool (NL), Yenting Kuan (NL), Limestone Books (NL), Maurice van Es (NL), MonoRhetorik (NL), Moosje M Goosen (NL), Oficyna Peryferie (PL), Onomatopee (NL), Pantofle Books (NL), Pleasant Place (NL), Portal Editions (NL), PrintRoom (NL), Rabbits Road Press (UK), Raum Press (ES), Reading Sideways Press (NL), Risofort (DE), Roots to Fruits (NL), Sofia Niazi (UK), Short Pieces That Move (NL), Small Editions (US), Tehran Zines (IR), Terry Bleu (NL), The Book Society (KR), Unformed Informed (NL), Valiz (NL), 51 Personae (CN), and more! 

12:00 – 12:30  LOOKING AT NOTHING, a 10-minute group meditation by Moosje M Goosen, followed by the presentation of FIGURES, a publication by Moosje M Goosen and Ian Whittlesea. 

13:00-16:00  Imprinting the Garden: cyanotype printing workshop with Élise Ory

14:00-16:00  Wool Worms: wool spinning workshop with Sofia Niazi. Suitable for ages 12+.  

15:00-16:00  Wool Feeds Earth: felting workshop with Amy Suo Wu 

16:00 – 16:30 Book presentation Melon #3 – Meals for the Final 72 Hours: Living and Eating through Ongoing Collapse by Alice Strete, with editor and publisher Yen-Ting Kuan and Chen Jhen. 

17:00-17:30 Film screening: Trees of Rotterdam by Alice Ladenburg and Ollie Palmer
Introduction by Alice Ladenburg

This edition is dedicated to publishing as a collective practice: the role of the workshop and DIY-together publishing as tools for creativity, social change and community building. Participants are initiators who, alongside their own publishing houses, also run meeting places where they support creators and publish collaboratively. 

The title Books Are Bridges was inspired by the work of Claudia de la Torre (backbonebooks, Berlin). The logo was designed by José Quintanar.

Books Are Bridges Summit and Art Book Fest 2025, images by Öncü Gültekin

On Wednesday 27 May we warmly welcome you to an evening of book presentations! 

~Alphabettes Soup: Feminist Approaches to Type by publisher Nina Paim and Amy Papaelias (online) 

~On the Edges of Graphic Design from A—Z—∞ by editor Anja Lutz 

Moderator: Clara Balaguer 

From 19.30 – 21.00 at PrintRoom
(Doors open at 19:00)

Van Speykstraat 121, Rotterdam

You’re invited!

This evening brings together two recent publications from the field of graphic design, documenting experimental initiatives in the field – the online platform Alphabettes and A—Z, a space for experimental graphic design in Berlin. Both books are more than anthologies, and look to alternative approaches, forms and positions in graphic design, invested in shaping its future through hands-on practice and collaboration. Editor Amy Papaelias and publisher Nina Paim from Bikini Books will discuss Alphabettes Soup and Anja Lutz will present On the Edges of Graphic Design from A—Z—∞. Clara Balaguer will moderate the evening of presentations and conversations.

Alphabettes Soup celebrates a decade of feminist approaches to type research, design, and creative community-building. The book blends key articles from the Alphabettes platform with original essays, exploring intersections between culture, language, business practices, technology, and type. It also includes interviews with Alphabettes members, visual histories, and reflections on past and ongoing initiatives. More than an anthology, Alphabettes Soup is a dynamic collection of voices and stories. The book is conceived as a type specimen, showcasing over 100 typefaces designed by women and non-binary individuals. Aimed at challenging dominant narratives in type history and contemporary practice, Alphabettes Soup seeks to inspire future generations to create their own decentralized design communities.

About Alphabettes:
In 2015, amid intense discussions about sexism and gender diversity in the type industry, a conversation among a few internet acquaintances quickly expanded into a wide-reaching network of over 300 type designers, lettering artists, typographers, and design educators. With no financial support or organizational structures, Alphabettes was born. Since then, this decentralized network has published hundreds of articles, paired emerging type designers with mentors, and hosted numerous public events and critique sessions. Committed to promoting equity, Alphabettes advocates for diversity in type design at conferences, educational institutions, and throughout the industry worldwide.

About the Editor:
Amy Papaelias is one of the founding members of Alphabettes. In late August 2015, she purchased the domain Alphabettes.org, and a month later she set up the blog with Indra Kupferschmid during some late-night, cross-Atlantic CSS and WordPress hacking. Since then, Amy has helped keep the lights on at Alphabettes.org (with a small team of wizards and unicorns), which has published over 400 original posts and 200+ headers by over 200+ authors. In her spare time, Amy is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at the State University of New York and has presented her research at many national and international venues.

About the Publisher:
Bikini Books is a feminist publisher based in Porto, Portugal. Established in 2023 by the designer, curator, and editor Nina Paim, Bikini publishes beautiful books and engaging stories at the intersection of design, visual culture, and architecture, with a focus on accessibility and critical thinking. 

Nina Paim is a graphic designer, publisher and curator. She is a three-time Swiss Design Awards recipient and has co-curated numerous exhibitions, workshops, and events internationally. She co-edited several publications, including Taking a Line for a Walk (Spector Books, 2016), Design Struggles (Valiz, 2021), and Alter-Care (Esad-Idea, 2021). In 2020, she co-founded the feminist platform Futuress.org, which she co-directed until mid-2023, when she left to start Bikini Books—her lifelong dream.

On the Edges of Graphic Design from A—Z—∞ celebrates the past, present, and future of alternative Graphic Design through the hands and minds of a multidisciplinary and international design community, their practices, and community-building experiences at A—Z Presents, the Berlin space for experimental Graphic Design.

Assuming the form of an ‘Index for alternative Graphic Design’, the book offers a comprehensive view of the wide range of activities performed by a multitude of graphic designers and visual artists with diverse backgrounds, ages, and career standings over the past six years. It also looks ahead by exploring how a group of international designers envision the future of the discipline of Graphic Design.

The first part, A—Z, features all the projects, workshops, exhibitions, talks, and a wide range of activities and events initiated by A—Z, in alphabetical, cross-referenced entries. The second part, titled —∞, features 36 international designers, including April Greiman, Richard Niessen, and Loraine Furter, who were invited to envision the future of Graphic Design and how it could be enacted in a transdisciplinary space like A—Z. These contributions range from reflections on the body in digital space and AI, to interspecies relationships, and language viewed through different scripts, among many others.

On Friday 27 March we celebrate a decade of TALKER, the interview zine about performance by Giles Bailey, with the launch of TALKER No. 16 and live performances by Giles Bailey and Martín La Roche.

TALKER publishes long-form interviews with artists working innovatively with live practice. Issue 16 is a conversation with Martín La Roche, whose work draws from collections of objects, memories and archives — reassembled into installations, performances and publications. In 2017 he founded the Musée Légitime: a museum inside a hat, now home to 205 works by different artists.

Giles Bailey works with performance, using texts, video fragments and choreographies to explore how knowledge and meaning are generated through relationships with others. 

Reading My Panties: DIY panty work-station by Lu Lin, an immersive night of imagination and storytelling.

Join us for a playful, participatory experience where you’re invited to reimagine, redesign, and reinvent panties through DIY creation. At our DIY panty station, unleash your creativity and give your touch to old panties donated by strangers. Throughout the night, spontaneous happenings will unfold, inviting you to uncover the hidden stories, memories, and whispers held within these personal fabrics.

For the occasion, Lu Lin will transform our smallest room into an intimate exhibition: using a double function torch, visitors can uncover hidden drawings and texts covering the walls and mirror, revealing the connections between social issues in China and the everyday panty, weaving feminist reflection into the most mundane of objects.

Last December, Lu Lin’s publication Reading My Panties 02: Queer Pillow Talk was presented at PrintRoom with a talk and a friendly take-over of the space — underwear hanging on clotheslines, inspired by women’s protests in Myanmar. Queer Pillow Talk explores the intersection of femininity, feminism, and queerness through the lens of panties, repositioning them as a site of struggle, memory, and transformation.

Reading My Panties is a publishing project by Lu Lin centred on clothing as a space for storytelling — exploring how underwear connects us to our bodies and identities. In many Asian cultures, talking about or showing one’s panties is considered taboo and rebellious. The project engages playfully with femininity and experiments with multiple ways of telling stories through the most mundane of garments.

Lu Lin (1992) is a self-publisher and socially engaged artist born in China, currently living and working in Arnhem (NL). She utilizes artistic approaches to deconstruct the complexity of safe spaces and explore their socio-political and cultural factors in relation to marginalization, drawing on intersectionality, feminism, and queerness. Her work takes various forms, including publishing practices, video essays, workshops, installations, and performances, all of which emphasize intimacy and collectivity.

design: NM studio

Join us for an evening with readings and drinks! Celebrating six new pamphlets published by Short Pieces That Move!

About Short Pieces That Move! 

SPTM! is a pedagogical and publishing practice co-founded by Kate Briggs, Annabelle Binnerts, Ash Kilmartin and Linus Bonduelle. Since 2023, they have published 25+ short pieces that move in pamphlet form, supporting new work by artists and writers based in Rotterdam and beyond. The design of all pamphlets is by Linus Bonduelle, cover drawings by Pau Ardid.

Presentations by TABF exhibitors

++ A bite-size entertainment by Karaoke Cowboy

+++ Delicious snacks by Erika Hirose

About the programme

PrintRoom joined the Tokyo Art Book Fair last December, presenting our own publications alongside books from past PrintRoom events. We took our time to absorb the fair, enjoy conversations at our table, and carefully select publications to share with our Rotterdam audience.

This presentation offers a small but considered slice of TABF—enough to give you a taste, and hopefully to continue feeding our programme with the inspiring work of our international family of artist publishers.

Books and projects by

ASIAN_FOOD_DESIGN (JP), BANANAFISH BOOKS (CH), Building Fictions (NL/FR), Copyright Reserved / Extensive Publishing (ID), Edition Taube (DE/CH), Editions B42 (FR), Every Blank Space (KR), Further Reading (ID), Hand Saw Press (JP), Handshake Press (ES), Happy Potato Press (DE), Ken Kagami (JP), Misako & Rosen (JP), Neutral Colors (JP), nos:books (TW), OUTLINE (NL), Oven Universe / Tata Press (JP), Page Bureau / RELATED DEPARTMENT (US/CH),  Perimeter Editions (AU), Queer Lights (JP), Stay With Tuesday (CH), Terry Bleu (NL/FR), Teuntje Fleur (NL), Tomoko Yamashita (JP), ZOLO PRESS (BE/MX),  and more!

About the programme

PrintRoom joined the Tokyo Art Book Fair last December, presenting our own publications alongside books from past PrintRoom events. We took our time to absorb the fair, enjoy conversations at our table, and carefully select publications to share with our Rotterdam audience.

This presentation offers a small but considered slice of TABF—enough to give you a taste, and hopefully to continue feeding our programme with the inspiring work of our international family of artist publishers.

More information

The Tokyo Art Book Fair, held annually at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, brings together more than 350 independent publishers, gallery presses, bookshops, artists, and collectives from Japan and abroad. Attracting over 20,000 visitors each year, TABF features exhibitions, talks, panel discussions, and film screenings, and plays a key role in shaping and celebrating contemporary art publishing culture.

PrintRoom’s participation in the Tokyo Art Book Fair was supported by the Mondrian Fund. Our programme is kindly supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL and the City of Rotterdam.

Flyer design by NM studio

We’re closed until 8 January but we hope to see you soon in the new year.

Wishing you all a very happy 2026!