White Fungus to Exhibit at the London Art Book Fair

White Fungus to Exhibit at the London Art Book Fair

Art magazine White Fungus will be exhibiting at this year’s London Art Book Fair at Whitechapel Gallery, June 21-23.

The fair is an annual event which celebrates the best of international contemporary art publishing. It showcases a diverse range of work, from individual artist publishers to galleries, magazines, colleges, art publishing houses, rare book dealers and distributors. The three-day festival, which last year attracted 12,000 visitors, includes an associated programme of talks and events in a lively and buzzing atmosphere.

White Fungus’ selection for the fair continues a remarkable run for the publication which began with its inclusion in the exhibition Millennium Magazines at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The publication has subsequently been selected for further exhibitions and fairs in Italy, The Netherlands, Dublin, New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and China.

White Fungus editor Ron Hanson says he’s thrilled to be exhibiting in London. “We began this publication in the most low-fi manner possible, on a photocopier, and built it from the ground up. To exhibit alongside the world’s top art publishers is a great honour and gives us the impetus to take the project to the next level”.

It’s been a particularly good year for White Fungus in London. In March the publication exhibited at the fair Publish and Be Damned at the ICA and was featured in the iconic contemporary music magazine The Wire. White Fungus was recently profiled by the London organisation Self Publish, Be Happy. The publication is now stocked in London at bookstores including Foyles and X Marks the Bokship. White Fungus has also been invited to produce a radio show for the London-based internet station NTS Radio which it will begin later this year.

White Fungus began in Wellington in 2004 but relocated to Taiwan in 2009. While now international in scope, the publication continues to prominently feature New Zealand artists and writers. Each issue of White Fungus begins with an in-depth article about New Zealand history. The series, while locally specific, has proved popular with international audiences. Past subjects include The Pink and White Terraces, Rua Kenana, the Rainbow Warrior bombing and the nation’s women’s suffrage movement.

Hanson says that for him one of the most exciting things about the growth of White Fungus is the profile it’s generating for New Zealand artists. “We’re passionate advocates for the artists we profile. Publishing is a way of overcoming the barrier of geographic distance to insert New Zealand art in an increasingly diverse range of different contexts”.