This exhibition of book art is a response to the car bombing in 2007 of al-Mutanabbi Street the booksellers street in Baghdad. Printers, poets, writers and artists responded to this incident by creating books that were a lament for what was lost and the power of the printed word.
al-Mutanabbi was a tenth century classical Arab poet and the street that bore his name was the centre of the literary and intellectual community where people would gather.
In the book art created I could sense the anger, outrage and protest felt by the makers and their sense of global solidarity against this attempt to destroy culture.
The peaceful setting of the John Rylands Library was an ideal setting for this exhibition curated by Sarah Bodman who along with Beau Beausoleil organised this project.
see some of the book art by clicking on these links:
the books are also being exhibited in New York:
Anna Mavromatis: Artists' Books: at the Center for Book Arts, New York
www.al-mutanabbistreetstartshere-boston.com/exhibitions.html
John Rylands Library Manchester
Anna Mavromatis: Artists' Books: at the Center for Book Arts, New York
www.al-mutanabbistreetstartshere-boston.com/exhibitions.html
John Rylands Library Manchester
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