(C) Self Publish Riga

On Friday May 9 at 7 PM, the SELF PUBLISH RIGA international photobook exhibition and contest will open at The Mill coworking space in Riga.  On May 10-11, alongside the exhibition, talks and lectures on photobooks, design and self-publishing will take place throughout the day. SELF PUBLISH RIGA is part of Riga Photomonth 2014, a Riga 2014 European Capital of Culture event.

SELF PUBLISH RIGA is dedicated to the photobooks and the phenomenon of self-publishing that enables artists to create and distribute their own books, avoiding traditional publishing houses and their terms. Today book publishing has become a more democratic process, accessible to anyone, and is experiencing an unprecedented boom worldwide.

The exhibition will feature the best of the photobook dummies sent in to the SELF PUBLISH RIGA contest. Almost 100 books from 30 countries were submitted overall. Book collections from Poland, the UK, Turkey, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Latvia and Sweden will also be on show.

Two full days of talks and lectures are planned for the weekend of 10-11 May. Speakers: founder of Schaden.com Markus Schaden (DE), photobook designers Teun van der Heijden (NL) and Ania Nalecka (PL), founder of The Photobook Club Matt Johnston, photographer and self-publishing expert Nico Baumgarten (DE), curator and photographer Paul Paper (Lithuania), founder of Archivo online photography platform Ana Catarina Pinho (Portugal), photographer and lecturer Jana Romanova (Russia), representatives of Finnish photography collective Maanantai, independent publishers Lugemik (Estonia) and collective of independent publishers Bandrolsuz (Turkey).

The winners of the SELF PUBLISH RIGA book dummy contest will be announced at the final event on May 11 at 7 PM. The author of the winning book will be invited to participate in an International Summer School of Photography 2014 masterclass free of charge, and the three best entries will receive individual consultation sessions with the jury members.

The exhibition will be open on May 10-11 from 11 AM – 8 PM at The Mill, a new coworking space at Brīvības iela 33 (entrance from Dzirnavu iela), on the 2nd floor. Free admission.

SELF PUBLISH RIGA is organised by ISSP (www.issp.lv). See the programme at: www.selfpublishriga.com.

More about Riga Photomonth 2014: www.rigaphotomonth.com

Partners and supporters: The State Culture Capital Foundation, Goethe-Institut, British Council, The Embassy of the Republic of Poland, The Embassy of Estonia, Nordic Council of Ministers, Danish Cultural Institute, Antalis, Hewlett-Packard, Opera Hotel, Valmiermuižas alus, Veto Vīni.

Media and content partners: FK magazine, FOLD, kim?, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Archivo, The Photobook Club, The Association of Swedish Professional Photographers, Lugemik, Fotofestiwal Łódź, BookOff, FotoDepartament, Bandrolsuz.