Before becoming co-director of Miss Read in 2020, Pascale Obolo had already been working to decolonise art book fairs. Even one as progressive as Miss Read, held annually at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, had featured only a handful of independent publishers from the Global South.
“When you’re operating only within a white European community, you can’t see that the world is changing,” Obolo says. “To truly rethink inequalities between territories, we need to provide tools for understanding – and for resistance.”
Founded in 2009 by Berlin-based publisher argobooks and artist Michalis Pichler, Miss Read started off at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and has grown to become one of Europe’s leading art book fairs. With a focus on experimental publishing and artistic practices, it now brings together publishers from over 55 countries. Always thematically linked to the current political agenda, the 2025 edition examines sustainability, subsistence and publishing in the context of the Anthropocene.
“We need to question the concentration of power,” Obolo continues. “Right now, a very small group of people is shaping public discourse, pushing extreme narratives.
When you’re operating only within a white European community, you can’t see that the world is changing
That’s why it’s essential to build alternative spaces for open debate: places that allow us to imagine the world differently.” Many of the books on offer at Miss Read aren’t available online or in shops. “They’re often too challenging for mainstream bookstores,” says Obolo.
To address imbalances, Miss Read recently established an annual grant supporting five independent publishers from the Global South, pairing them with European publishers through an exchange programme. But visa issues persist: “Even when travel and participation are secured, the German embassy doesn’t always grant a visa,” says Obolo. “So this year, publishers who can’t attend in person will send their books, and we’ll sell them on their behalf.”
Alongside a varied schedule of pre-fair programming from June 10–12 at the Miss Read Space in Wedding, the three-day event includes talks, lectures, performances and book launches.
The weekend begins with a keynote by Italian Marxist theorist Franco “Bifo” Berardi on the unraveling of late capitalism, followed by a discussion on coloniality in climate discourse and the amplification of Black and Indigenous ecological thought – before spilling outdoors into an open-air DJ party. “Everyone is truly welcome,” says Obolo. “It’s not just a fair; it’s an inclusive, safe space for critical exchange.”
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, Tiergarten, Jun 13–15, details.
