Join the UK Friends of NMWA bloc at “Between Reading and Looking”: Women to Watch panel discussion at Tate Britain

“Between Reading and Looking” will explore the artist’s book as an experimental medium for ideas where material and conceptual approaches are part of narratives reflecting on history, cultural heritage, gender and language.

A public discussion will be convened by curator Welmoet Wartena to consider the role of women artists’ books in contemporary practices and institutional collections, with UK Women to Watch nominated artists: Tamsin Green, Larissa Nowicki, Batool Showghi, Rachel Smith and Francisca Prieto.

The event will feature a show and share display of publications in Tate’s collection. Tate Library is a centre of excellence for art historical research, with holdings of over half a million publications on British art since 1500, and international art since 1900, including 25,000 artists’ books, zines and photobooks.

“Between Reading and Looking” references American writer and curator Lucy Lippard, in her article ‘Surprises: An Anthological Introduction to Some Women Artists’ Books’ (Chrysalis, 1977) that explored new ways of reading and looking at women artists’ books. By hosting the conversation alongside a display at Tate’s reading rooms, we can reflect on how women artists’ publications, current and historical, contribute to new narratives, and on the role libraries and museums play in enabling these narratives to be discovered, studied, and reimagined.

Women to Watch is an international programme initiated by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, USA. It features women artists at pivotal stages of their career and in 2027 will focus on the theme of contemporary Book Art. Women to Watch UK nominations celebrate five UK based artists who work with the book as part of their artistic practice.