booound: Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2026
The third edition at Langgeng Art Space
Special showcase by Ika Vantiani. Image courtesy of Ika Vantiani and YKABF.
Yogyakarta Art Book Fair (YKABF) will take place from 8 to 10 May at Langgeng Art Space. This third edition continues the fair’s celebration of the independent publishing scene in Indonesia and beyond. It explores the intersection of physical materiality and conceptual innovation in contemporary publishing practices.
Altogether there are 43 exhibitions. Most are from Indonesia and they include Hai Rembulan, Binatang Press, Petrikor Books, Parrot Siramami, FOLXTALE, Fruit Punch x Studio Yuansa, Graphic Handler, Kunci Copy Station, SOKONG!, Lazy Sunday Zine Club, Lingkar Malam, Petrikor Books, PROCEDURE, Ririsoan, Zine Zan Zun and Toko Perihal Cinta x SkeNU. From the rest of Southeast Asia, there are Artificial Flavors Press and Tau Hu Ky Collective from Vietnam, and from Malaysia, there is Melayu Palsu. There are also to_press from Taiwan and 51 Personae from Canada, as well as Master Zen’s Vault of Wushu Wishery which operates across Indonesia, Canada, Japan and the United States of America.
Ika Vantiani.
Pixie Tan.
There is also a robust programme, including a Junk Journal showcase and studio activation by Ika Vantiani, known as the “godmother of zines”, who has consistently turned everyday materials into her zines and journals. A collaborative workshop and lecture will also be hosted by Singapore-based Pixie Tan, to share her research on contemporary zine publishing practices across Asia.
The YKABF team shares more about the foundations of the fair, this year’s theme booound and the resonance of the event for the art publishing community in Indonesia and beyond.
How did YKABF first begin, and who are the core team members behind YKABF? What does each person do?
YKABF originates from the need for a space for experimentation, appreciation, and distribution of artistic publishing formats, both locally and internationally, particularly those intersecting with art, design, and critical knowledge production. Yogyakarta itself has a long tradition in art and publishing practices, ranging from photocopied comic zines and off-campus scholarly journals to artist monographs and photobooks. In our view, the sustainability of this artistic publishing ecosystem requires infrastructure that operates across disciplinary and geographic boundaries, i.e. an art fair that also functions as a public festival while maintaining space for experimentation.
YKABF has since evolved into a collective initiative driven by cross-disciplinary practitioners, including artists, designers, researchers, art bookshop owners, and small-to-medium-scale publishers. Each person brings their field expertise and rich conceptualization around their publishing practices. The core team works collaboratively, with roles spanning programme and exhibitor curation, content and discourse development, partnerships, as well as production management and communication. The diverse backgrounds of its organizers are always in dialogue and continuously in the process of finding our shared balance point. This collective approach is essential because YKABF is built not just as an event, but as a growing ecosystem.
Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2024. Image courtesy of YKABF.
Tell us more about the theme for this year's YKABF. Why this theme? What does it mean?
The theme of YKABF 2026, "booound," originates from the term binding in the publishing production process. Binding is the process of uniting loose pages into a publication. We use this technical term simultaneously as a conceptual proposal to discuss the things that bind us, whether as a community or other more fluid forms of togetherness. Through this theme, we aim to offer art books and more forms of artistic publishing practice as a way to discuss many things, ranging from the serious and grand to the everyday. This is certainly related to the spirit of exploring artistic publishing—particularly art books and zines—as a fluid medium for bridging ideas, practices, and experiences. Art books are no longer merely containers for documentation but have become spaces for experimentation, whether visual, narrative, or tactile. This theme opens possibilities for diverse interpretations while reflecting the dynamics of artistic publishing practices today.
Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2025. Photo by Farhan Ceking. Image courtesy of YKABF.
Exhibition at Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2025. Photo by Farhan Ceking. Image courtesy of YKABF.
How does this edition of YKABF build on the previous ones? What continues, and what is new?
This year's edition builds upon the foundation established in previous years, particularly in exhibitor curation and the cross-disciplinary approach that defines YKABF's core character. We maintain our focus on excellence in practice, diverse perspectives, and creating intimate spaces for interaction between exhibitors and visitors. The programme has also been developed with greater depth; it serves not only as a presentation of work but also as a space for learning and exchange—through workshops, discussions, and other experimental formats.
This year marks the launch of the Yogyakarta Art Book Club (YKABC), the home community of YKABF. YKABC sustains the year-round work that often remains invisible: building relationships, sharing knowledge, hosting conversations, and nurturing the small infrastructures that allow independent publishers, artists, writers, and designers to keep creating. YKABF is the moment when that collective work becomes public. It brings people together across different scenes and generations, creating a place to meet, learn, exchange, and imagine new ways of working.
YKABF25 Day 3: Presentation of the Lakon Penciptaan Trilogy Book with Teater Garasi by Garasi Performance Institute. Photo by Ahmad Fathurrizqi. Image courtesy of YKABF.
What are the highlights of YKABF taking place next week?
YKABF 2026 will feature curated exhibitors from both domestic and international backgrounds, creating a dynamic intersection between local and global practices in artistic publishing. Additionally, the public programme forms a vital part of this experience—ranging from book launches and artist talks to workshops and project presentations that reveal the rich processes behind a publication.
We also view the highlight not just in individual programmes, but in the overall atmosphere that emerges—an environment where audiences can interact directly with creators, understand the process, and see how a book can serve as a medium for expression that is both deeply personal and collective.
Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2025 team. Photo by Ahmad Fathurrizqi. Image courtesy of YKABF.
Why does YKABF matter within Yogyakarta, and how does it relate to other art book fairs in the region and beyond?
YKABF holds strong relevance within the context of Yogyakarta as a city with a vibrant art and alternative education ecosystem. Its presence adds a new layer to this ecosystem, particularly by elevating publishing as an integral part of artistic and intellectual practice.
In the regional and global context, YKABF views itself as part of an interconnected network of art book fairs—not in a competitive position, but collaboratively. The true strength lies in how each city brings its own unique context. YKABF stems from the local dynamics of Yogyakarta, yet remains open to broader dialogue, enabling it to contribute to the global conversation on contemporary artistic publishing.
Art & Market is proud to be a media partner of Yogyakarta Art Book Fair 2026.
Yogyakarta Art Book Fair (YKABF) will take place from 8 to 10 May at Langgeng Art Space and is open from 1pm to 9pm daily. Follow YKABF on Instagram @ykartbookfair.