As a child Judy Bourke knew she wanted to make art, but growing up in a tent on the beachfront of Woonona near Wollongong she had few options to do so.
The show features artworks such as concertina books, codex books which are pages bound to a spine, scrolls and miniature books.Liz Jeneid and Kathryn Orton, selected 37 artists to present more than 50 works."This is the fringe dwellers' edgy work of the art world.""Sometimes people will say it's a book made by an artist, not a book about art," Judy said.
"I can define artists' book in seven words … a work of art in book form. The book is the work of art itself," Adele said."Others may say it came about in the early 20th century, it's very hard to define when it started," she said.Judy takes a homemade book with her wherever she goes."I call them my bus stop books, so if ever I am waiting on public transport I do small line drawings with a graphite pen and I have one in every bag.
"I think it's wonderful the exhibition is on in such a beautiful, old building, plus it's a great way to interact with the artists and curators who are minding the exhibition during the week," she said.And another exhibition, Pandemic Days Artists Books, is on at the Art Gallery of NSW until December.