LIBRARY
FOR ARTISTS' WRITING
IF A LIBRARY ISN'T UTOPIA,
WHAT IS IT?
The Library for Artists’ Writing is, as far as we know, the first library dedicated explicitly to writing as an artistic practice within the visual arts. Created by Texte zum Nachdenken for the Swiss Art Awards 2026, it makes its public debut within a temporary installation of several artworks by Karin Borer & Daniel Kurt, Arnaud Wohlhauser, Benedikt Bock and Sarah Lehnerer from 15. – 21.06.2026 at Art Basel.
As of today (27.05.2026), the Library for Artists’ Writing comprises 362 titles, drawn together from a range of sources. We began with publications by artists who have collaborated with TzN. To expand this community and ensure the library represents as wide a range of voices as possible, we have supplemented it through an open call to artists, personal recommendations and our research in the field of artists’ writing. At the same time, we have approached institutions, publishers and project spaces to reflect institutional engagement with artistic writing.
We conceive of the library as a situated, collective and long-term knowledge resource. Following its presentation at the Swiss Art Awards, the library will be publicly accessible as a reference collection in the reading room of Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, where it will be expanded, continuously maintained and brought to life through public events here and abroad.
Find the growing INDEX of the library here
Special thanks to all the artists, as well as the institutions, publishers, and project spaces whose donations made this library possible!
Bureaucracy Studies, Cabaret Voltaire, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Dears, Edition Taube, For Basel, GAS, Hammann von Mier Verlag, Hauser & Wirth Publishers, Info-Space Basel, Jan van Eyck Academy, Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg, Kunsthalle Zürich, Kunstmuseum Lichtenstein, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Migros Museum Zürich, Musée Cantonale des Beaux- Arts de Lausanne, Slow Reading Club, Sweetwater, Tausend Editionen, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen
LIBRARY
FOR ARTISTS' WRITING
IF A LIBRARY ISN'T UTOPIA,
WHAT IS IT?
The Library for Artists’ Writing is, as far as we know, the first library dedicated explicitly to writing as an artistic practice within the visual arts. Created by Texte zum Nachdenken for the Swiss Art Awards 2026, it makes its public debut within a temporary installation of several artworks by Karin Borer & Daniel Kurt, Arnaud Wohlhauser, Benedikt Bock and Sarah Lehnerer from 15. – 21.06.2026 at Art Basel.
As of today (27.05.2026), the Library for Artists’ Writing comprises 362 titles, drawn together from a range of sources. We began with publications by artists who have collaborated with TzN. To expand this community and ensure the library represents as wide a range of voices as possible, we have supplemented it through an open call to artists, personal recommendations and our research in the field of artists’ writing. At the same time, we have approached institutions, publishers and project spaces to reflect institutional engagement with artistic writing.
We conceive of the library as a situated, collective and long-term knowledge resource. Following its presentation at the Swiss Art Awards, the library will be publicly accessible as a reference collection in the reading room of Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, where it will be expanded, continuously maintained and brought to life through public events here and abroad.
Find the growing INDEX of the library here
Special thanks to all the artists, as well as the institutions, publishers, and project spaces whose donations made this library possible!
Bureaucracy Studies, Cabaret Voltaire, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Dears, Edition Taube, For Basel, GAS, Hammann von Mier Verlag, Hauser & Wirth Publishers, Info-Space Basel, Jan van Eyck Academy, Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg, Kunsthalle Zürich, Kunstmuseum Lichtenstein, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Migros Museum Zürich, Musée Cantonale des Beaux- Arts de Lausanne, Slow Reading Club, Sweetwater, Tausend Editionen, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen