Next weekend, the 21st and 22nd of September, the 1st edition of the Lisbon Art Book Fair – Lab 2024 opens to the public. Hosted by the MAC/CCB and spread over the José Saramago path – the area outside the Belém Cultural Centre – and the museum’s auditorium, the fair takes place from 10am to 7pm, with 29 exhibitors, two launches and a masterclass.

This is an initiative dedicated exclusively to the important ecosystem of books and art publications, bringing together independent national and international publishers, small and medium-sized publishers, specialised booksellers, as well as cultural agents who produce and sign publications – such as the Lisbon Municipal Archive, the Arpad Szenes – Vieira da Silva Foundation, the Serralves Foundation, the EDP Foundation and the D. Maria II National Theatre. In addition to these, Alexandria Livros, Atelier de Lisboa, Centro de Artes Visuais / Encontros de Fotografia, Editora Olhavê, GHOST Editions, Hélice_press, Ideias no Escuro, LEBOP, Linha de Sombra, Livraria da Travessa, Livraria Snob, Livrarias Almedina, Monginho Collection, Nouvelle Librairie Française, Photo Book Corner, Pierre von Kleist editions, Procur. arte, Sistema Solar | Documenta, Mr Teste Edições, ŞŞS, Stolen Books, Tinta nos Nervos, VS. Editor and XYZ Books also participate in the fair.

On Saturday, there will be the official launches of the photography book Riviera, by Stefano Martini, published by Editora Olhavê (from 2:30pm to 4pm), and a new limited edition of Lightless, by Sara Bichão, published by the Serralves Foundation (from 5pm to 6:30pm). Both publications will be presented in numbered editions signed by the respective artists, during moments of conversation with invited guests. The first launch will bring together the author and Alexandre Belém (photo editor, journalist, photographer and co-founder of Olhavê), Georgia Quintas (curator, writer, anthropologist and co-founder of Olhavê) and Álvaro Domingues (geographer, professor and researcher with a PhD in Human Geography). The second one will be attended by the artist and Inês Grosso, chief curator of the Serralves Foundation’s Museum of Contemporary Art, where Bichão’s exhibition of the same name is currently on show.

On Sunday, from 5pm to 6:30pm, visual artists Pedro Valdez Cardoso and Nuno Sousa Vieira are preparing a masterclass – organised in conjunction with the Lisbon Photo Book Fair – based on the work O Filho do Caçados. From the processes of conception and production of this unique, complex and demanding object in terms of layout and handling, Pedro and Nuno will consider how artist’s books fit into their own creative practices.

The entire programme is free. To access the activities in the auditorium of the MAC/CCB museum, however, a ticket must be collected on the day of the event, up to 30 minutes beforehand.