Printed Matter Returns to Pasadena With 250 Exhibitors and a Rare Queer History Exhibition
Some events show up on your radar every year and still manage to surprise you. Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair is that event. Now celebrating its 13th edition, the annual gathering takes place May 7–10, 2026, taking over ArtCenter College of Design’s South Campus in Pasadena. Experience 4 days of international publishing, rare print culture and creative energy that makes you feel more alive just walking through the door. Think of it as fashion week, but make it ink. Come curious and ready to discover something you didn’t know you needed.
A Fair That Refuses to Play It Safe
Printed Matter has championed artists’ books and independent publications since 1976. The nonprofit’s New York roots run deep, but its annual LA fair has become a cultural institution in its own right. Since launching in 2013, the fair has grown into an international gathering, connecting publishers with audiences and nurturing relationships that last beyond the weekend. ArtCenter College of Design’s South Campus is more than just a backdrop. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to the educational possibilities of community-driven events. This is not a white-glove gallery experience or a corporate trade show. The LA Art Book Fair is loud, layered and unapologetically specific. Publishers come here to share work that doesn’t belong anywhere else. Visitors come here to find it.
250 Exhibitors, One Very Good Weekend
The 2026 lineup brings together 250 exhibitors from across the globe, and the breadth of voices on display is impressive. Fifty first-time participants join the roster this year, arriving from Los Angeles to Italy and beyond. That roster includes LA-based Cynthia Magazine, celebrated artist Lauren Halsey and Arigatos Press from Mexico. You’ll also find a wave of collectives, galleries and institutions from countries like Ireland, Greece and the Netherlands. That global mix is the fair’s greatest strength. Every table offers a different point of view, a different visual language, a different reason to stop and look closer. This year, the Shannon Michael Cane Award supports 4 first-time exhibitors in the early stages of their publishing practice. Volume Grant recipients A.R.D.O., Gueari Galeri, Pide un Deseo and Shadowbanned Magazine round out the lineup of emerging voices alongside established names.
The Opening Night You Don’t Want to Miss
The fair kicks off Thursday, May 7, with an Opening Night celebration from 6–9 p.m., and it sets the tone. The first 500 ticketed guests receive Cycles, a limited-edition print by LA-based artist Amia Yokoyama, plus weekend-long fair access. It’s also the official launch of Sophia at a Crossroads, a new Artists’ Edition collaboration between Deanna Templeton and Ed Templeton. Live music on The Stage from Sonrisita, GMO, and Mia Carucci, organized with Orange Radio and Homebody, keeps the energy moving. Performances continue throughout the weekend with Kristofferson San Pablo, Bunny Jr tapes, Groundislava, Teebs and more, every hour in the Courtyard.
Panels, Printing and the Politics of Sound
The fair’s long-running Classroom series returns, organized with David Senior, and the 2026 programming lineup is one of the most compelling yet. Highlights include a file preparation presentation by Hemlock Printers and a program on Future Wunderkammer by Richard Hart, organized with Future Humans and the Berggruen Institute. And you won’t want to miss the exploration of sonic resistance and LA rave culture by DesiredFX. Nightboat Books also brings a celebration of the reissue of David Wojnarowicz’s Memories That Smell Like Gasoline. For those who prefer hands-on experiences, RISO Studio Arts offers silkscreen printing demonstrations throughout the weekend. The Reading Room, which debuted at LAABF 2025, returns with a focus on the politics of sound. There is genuinely something here for everyone.
The Exhibition Making Its LA Debut
The standout program of the 2026 fair is a rare one. ¡Afuera! Publishing Queer Liberation, drawn from the collection of Archivos Desviados, makes its Los Angeles debut. The exhibition surveys radical prints produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, centering three post-Stonewall activist groups: New York’s Gay Liberation Front, the Third World Gay Revolution, and Argentina’s Frente de Liberación Homosexual. Their efforts form a largely undocumented chapter of queer liberation history, and the printed materials tell that story in vivid detail. Seeing these pieces up close is a rare opportunity. Print has always been a tool for liberation, and this exhibition proves it.
Mark Your Calendar
The LA Art Book Fair runs May 7–10 at ArtCenter College of Design’s South Campus in Pasadena. Opening Night on May 7 is ticketed, and those first 500 spots go fast, whether you come for the ¡Afuera! exhibition, the Classroom series, the live music or the thrill of discovering a publication, these are four days well spent. Printed Matter has spent decades making the case that artists’ books are a vital art form. The 2026 fair makes that argument beautifully. Bring a tote, bag, bring a friend and plan to stay longer than you intended.
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