Forms of (ex-)Change — Leipzig Book Fair 2024Forms of (ex-)Change — Leipzig Book Fair 2024

Due to the current political and cultural climate in Germany, this presentation, for which designers were invited to explore themes of personal importance, is no longer possible.

As an institute that frequently collaborates internationally, we respect local laws, customs and sensitivities wherever we work. In doing so, we partner with cultural organizations with which we share interests, values and aspirations while acknowledging the local conditions in which they must operate. In this case, it became clear that continuing with the presentation of Forms of (ex-)Change in Germany would put our cultural partners there at risk.

Nevertheless, we remain committed to the designers who contributed to this project, and to showing their work. We look forward to presenting the exhibition in its entirety at the Nieuwe Instituut as soon as it is logistically possible.

See the previously announced exhibition text below.

The Netherlands and Flanders are the guests of honour at the 2024 Leipzig Book Fair, the annual book and media fair held in Leipzig, Germany. Under the motto Anything but Flat!, the so-called Low Countries show that, culturally speaking, they are indeed anything but two-dimensional. For the event, the Nieuwe Instituut is collaborating with its partners on Forms of (ex-)Change, an exhibition and talks exploring the role of the designer in giving form to every book, poster or website that is produced.

The exhibition Forms of (ex-)Change is a collaboration between the Nieuwe Instituut and the Dutch graphic design programme at Werkplaats Typografie, the independent Leipzig bookshop MZIN, and the System Design class at the Academy of Fine Arts (HGB) in Leipzig.

Curated by Maureen Mooren, head of design at the Nieuwe Instituut and professor at the HGB, and Armand Mevis, graphic designer and head of Werkplaats Typografie, it examines the role of the designer in giving form to every single book, poster or website that is produced. The work of designers always contributes to the exchange, discussion, and change of perspective that books and other media make possible.

The organisers of Forms of (ex-)Change have therefore invited designers to engage with the idea of change in the broadest sense of the word. While the exhibition is about exchange, it is also the result of exchange – between disciplines and practices, and of knowledge and culture. Indeed, the creation of a graphic message is never a neutral exchange between sender and receiver, as the receiver’s interpretation, bias and personal background all come into play. It is also about inclusion and exclusion, cultural understanding and access. And since the audience has to interpret the work, there is always the risk that the makers’ message will be misunderstood. In Forms of (ex-)Change, the temporary collective of professional and student designers create a multi-layered image of exchange and change – the (ex-)change of their practice.

Forms of (ex-)Change is part of the book fair’s satellite programme and is supported by the Dutch Embassy and the Representation of Flanders in the Belgian Embassy in Berlin.

The exhibition will open on Friday 22 March at 16:00. The participating designers will talk about their contribution and drinks will be served. The MZIN bookshop, where the exhibition will be on show, is located near the entrance to the Museum der Bildenden Künste (MdbK) in Leipzig. The exhibition can be visited during and after the book fair, until 21 April 2024.

During the five days of the book fair, professionals and enthusiasts will come together around the 2024 theme of reading. After all, what unites authors, publishers and readers is the act of reading itself, as this year’s theme – Who’s Still Reading? I’m Still Reading! – makes clear through its rhetorical question and resounding answer. Similarly the guests of honour’s theme, Anything but Flat, suggests the depth, diversity, seriousness and humour with which The Netherlands and Flanders want to present themselves to avid readers.