Tahun 2016 adalah tahun yang membanggakan bagi Indonesia, dimana budaya bangsa mendapat apresiasi dari khalayak internasional. Salah satunya melalui Frankfurt Book Fair yang menjadikan Indonesia sebagai Guest of Honor, dimana sastra dan literatur lokal diapresiasi dan mendapatkan kesempatan untuk memperkenalkannya pada book fair terbesar di dunia ini.

Asosiasi Desain Grafis Indonesia (ADGI) turut menjadi bagian usaha membawa nama bangsa pada publik dunia di acara ini dengan mempersembahkan “Seeing Words”, sebuah eksibisi yang mengeksplorasi cara pandang terhadap buku dalam perspektif desain. Dengan treatment visual yang baru, Adam Mulyadi (Egghead Branding), Zinnia Nizar (Ampersand studio), Adityayoga (Inlander Design Buro), Ismiaji Cahyono & Citra Lestari (Sun Visual), Andi Rahmat (Nusae Studio), Andrew Budiman (Butawarna); Cecil Mariani, Eric Wijaya (ThinkingRoom), Fergie Tan & Yusuf Asikin (Brownfox studio), Gumpita Rahayu (Formika Studio), Jefferson & Kristin Monica (Feat Studio) memikirkan cara baru untuk menciptakan bahasa visual yang lebih universal untuk menikmati kajian yang ada di dalam buku.

“Last year we introduce 17.000 islands of imagination to showcase Indonesia’s creative imagination as guest of honor, and the results is beyond our imagination…This year we are fortunate to celebrate and showcase one out of the 17.000 imaginations, the first collective graphic design exhibition from ADGI at International level”. – Quoted Emir Hakim, Exhibition Director & Business Development Director of ADGI.

Seeing Words examines the importance of this visual-textual relationship that grew in importance as literacy grew within the publishing realm. As much as image and word were linked, both part are equally important as forms of communication.
Throughout the exhibition words is denied its interpretive, explicatory, or narrative function. Instead the works in the exhibition embrace language’s more permeable state: its elasticity, its penchant for questions, subtexts and double meanings. Exploring language’s limits and limitations the works in Seeing Words are often highly emotive; as visually translated from the literary works, they embrace questions of politics, sexuality, identity, race, and idealism.

Seeing Words is a visual interpretation of selected Indonesian Authors that considers highly individual’s manifestations of language, dialogue, and words in contemporary visual artworks produced by members of The Indonesian Graphic Designers Association (ADGI). Throughout the exhibition words is denied its interpretive, explicatory, or narrative function. Instead the works in the exhibition embrace language’s more permeable state: its elasticity, its penchant for questions, subtexts and double meanings. Exploring language’s limits and limitations the works in Seeing Words are often highly emotive; as visually translated from the literary works, they embrace questions of politics, sexuality, identity, race, and idealism.

The exhibition of Seeing Words in Frankfurt Book Fair 2016 is collaboration between The Indonesian Graphic Designers Association (ADGI) and The Indonesian National Book Committee supported by Indonesia Ministry of Education & Culture alongside with BEKRAF (The Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy).

Seeing Words opens today on the 19th of October 2016 at Indonesia National Stand Hall 4.0, at Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany.

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SEEING WORDS
Exhibition Director
Emir Hakim

Design Curator
Zinnia Nizar

Exhibition Designer
Max Suriaganda
Dede Chaniago

Promotion
Imaduddin Muhammad

ADGI – The Indonesian Graphic Designer Association