Imperfect Archiving, Archiving as Practice: Queer Bibliographic Explorations
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Imperfect Archiving, Archiving as Practice: Queer Bibliographic Explorations
by Be Oakley
80 pages
5th Edition of 350
Risograph (Black, Blue and Flat Gold)
June 2024
Imperfect Archiving, Archiving as Practice: Queer Bibliographic Explorations is a special expanded 5th edition centering on archiving as artistic practice. This manifesto talks to core of GenderFail collecting and archiving practices that looks to the softness as a metaphor for both the material and content of artist made publications. The GenderFail Archive Project is a socially engaged reading room that looks at archiving as practice. The project stems from GenderFail’s desire to share the publications from their personal library archive and give a platform to other publishers that they cherish. This publication features and highlights over a hundred artist books, art books and zines.
This edition features a new section previously never published showing bibliographies created for exhibitions and programs with the GenderFail Archive project at spaces like Wendy's Subway, The Studio Museum of Harlem and Cleveland Institute of Art's Reinberger Gallery.
Additionally this this publication features the 4th edition featured section showing 7 curated GenderFail Archive Project reading lists from “Publishing Now” a class I taught from 2021-2023 at School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. For this course I wanted the students to read zines and publications being produced in real time, so I started to digitize my collection as I acquired certain titles that I felt the students would resonate with. Many of the readings for this course were scanned from my personal collection of over 2,000 zines, artist books and art books that make up the GenderFail archive. Since we were not able to meet in person (due to the pandemic) I spent hours scanning zines and artist books to be used as required readings for the course. Each of the reading lists will accompany a link and QR code to read and engage with the full scanned copies of all 31 artist books, art books and zines featured.
The Imperfect Archiving, Archiving as Practice:Queer Bibliographic Explorations is among my most cherished project I’ve published of the over 125 editions I’ve designed and printed with GenderFail.
This pride month support queer, trans, non-binary and asexual artists not tied to corporate sponsors and who are fighting/advocating like hell for Palestine life and dignity. If your queer identity does not include Palestinian solidarity and action you’re shaming our queer and trans ancestor who fought like hell for future generations they would never see enjoy the fruits of their labor. Queerness is an identity of resistance against colonialist genocidal ideologies like zIonIsm.
