Across the shifting landscape of global art publishing, we are witnessing a resurgence of self-organised libraries and independent reading spaces. In the face of increasing restrictions on publishing in various parts of Asia, many publications now circulate primarily through overseas channels – from Berlin and London to New York. These reading rooms have taken on renewed significance: as sites of resistance, care, and collective remembrance.
Operating beyond the boundaries of conventional institutions, such spaces reimagine what it means to read together, to archive from the margins, and to publish otherwise. Often hybrid in form – simultaneously libraries, bookshops, community hubs, and curatorial platforms – they activate their collections through displays, talks, workshops, and public gatherings. Here, reading is not only an act of engagement, but a method and a medium.
Moderated by te editions, our 2025 Librarians-in-Residence, the online conversation brings together five initiatives: Asia Art Archive in America (New York), Accent Sisters (New York), Common Imprint (Berlin), The Mosaic Rooms (London) and our freshly rooted and growing library in East London. Each presents a distinct approach to circulation, curation, and engagement with contemporary diasporic artistic publishing in transnational and intercultural frameworks. Together, we ask: how do diasporic reading spaces negotiate their relationship with Asia? What new forms of collectivity, authorship, and care do they make possible? And how might they intervene in dominant narratives through the quiet, radical act of reading?
The conversation is a rare gathering and exchange, offering insight into the structural, conceptual, and affective labour that sustains these spaces, shedding light on their operational models, curatorial urgencies, and the communities they nurture.
The session will feature short presentations from invited speakers, followed by a live conversation and audience Q&A. Free and open to the public with registration. The event will be recorded and made available via our online platforms.