A lot of writing on art publishing still circles around the same concerns: if everything is digital now, why are artists, photographers, and publishers still so invested in printed books? The sources reviewed here push back against the idea that print is simply fading away. Instead, they suggest something far more interesting, that publishing, especially in art contexts, is evolving, diversifying, and in many cases becoming more conceptually important rather than less.
One of the most consistent arguments across the literature is that printed art books offer forms of experience that digital formats don’t quite replicate. Discussions in outlets like Plaster Magazine frame print not as nostalgic attachment but as a medium with specific qualities: physical presence, sequencing, tactility, and the ability to structure attention. Books are described as portable exhibitions, long-term archives, and spaces where visual work unfolds at a controlled pace. Rather than seeing digital culture as replacing print, these perspectives position printed books as doing something fundamentally different.
Practitioner perspectives tend to echo this idea but from a more grounded angle. Interviews with independent publishers such as Aaron Fabian emphasise the appeal of physical publications in a world dominated by screens. Print, in this framing, isn’t treated as outdated, but becomes valuable precisely because digital media are so pervasive. The physical book carries a sense of intention, intimacy, and material presence that contrasts with the endless, frictionless flow of online content. Importantly, digital tools are rarely cast as enemies; they’re often just part of the workflow. What emerges instead is a picture of coexistence rather than competition.
Several sources go further by challenging the assumption that publishing is secondary to artistic practice. Delphine Bedel’s writing is key here, arguing that publishing can itself be understood as an artistic act rather than simply a channel for distributing work. From this viewpoint, making a book is not just about packaging content. The editorial decisions, structure, design, and format become part of the creative process. The Publishing as Artistic Practice anthology reinforces this shift by treating publishing as a legitimate site of artistic agency, connecting contemporary practices to conceptual art histories and experimental forms of production.
Another recurring thread situates current art publishing within longer histories of self-publishing and independent production. Accounts of zine cultures, pamphleteering traditions, and underground presses highlight that artist-led publishing is not new, even if its visibility has increased. Print has historically functioned as a tool for bypassing institutional gatekeeping, producing alternative publications, and circulating ideas outside dominant systems. These histories complicate romantic narratives of independence by reminding us that publishing has always been tied to access, resources, and infrastructure.
Curatorial and institutional perspectives also play a significant role in shaping how publishing is understood. Projects such as Publishing as an Artistic Toolbox at Kunsthalle Wien frame publishing as a methodological and conceptual strategy deployed by artists across decades. Educational platforms similarly treat publishing as a form of curatorial or editorial practice rather than a purely technical exercise. These contexts broaden the discussion beyond books alone to include magazines, archives, libraries, and hybrid print + digital formats.
That said, much of the literature leans toward celebratory accounts of print and independent publishing, often foregrounding creativity, experimentation, and passion. Less frequently addressed are the structural tensions underpinning these practices: Expensive to produce, labour intensity, questions of sustainability, and inequalities of access. Claims that publishing is inherently democratic, for instance, become more complicated when production and distribution remain costly and unevenly resourced. This gap between the cultural rhetoric of independence and the material realities of publishing remains an important area for critical analysis moving forward.
Overall, the literature suggests that publishing in art contexts is not simply surviving but being actively redefined. Print persists not out of resistance to digital culture, but because it continues to offer distinct forms of engagement, authorship, and meaning. Publishing appears less as a fading medium and more as a flexible field of creative, social, and conceptual practices.
Bibliography
Bedel, D. (2018). Publishing as Artistic Practice. Medium.
Calasso, R. (2016). The Art of the Publisher. The Guardian (review).
Fabian, A. (2021). How to Thrive in the Digital Age as an Independent Art Book Publisher. i-D.
Gilbert, A. (Ed.). (2016). Publishing as Artistic Practice. Sternberg Press / MIT Press.
Khandwala, A. (2021). How the Radical History of Self-Publishing Paved the Way for Artists Today. Elephant.
Liberty, M. N. (2021). Two Books Rethink Publishing as a Radical Practice. Hyperallergic.
Magnum Photos. (n.d.). Xavier Barral on Art Book Publishing.
Node Center for Curatorial Studies. (n.d.). Art Publishing as Curatorial Practice.
Plaster Magazine. (2023). Publishing Art Books: Labour of Love.
Warburg Institute. (2025). Art & The Book: Celebrating Artists’ Books and Independent Publishing.
a-n. (n.d.). Artists’ Self-Publishing.
ArtConnect Magazine. (n.d.). How to Publish an Art Book.
ARCA / Grey Guide. (n.d.). Grey Guide Taxonomy.