If you were looking for the usual cavernous, slightly industrial vibe of the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA this year, you probably ended up very confused in Little Tokyo. For the first time since it started back in 2013, Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair 2025 packed up its zines and experimental lithographs and headed north to Pasadena.
Honestly? It was a bit of a shock to the system.
The move to the ArtCenter College of Design (specifically the South Campus at 950 & 870 S. Raymond Ave) happened from May 15–18, 2025. It wasn't just a change of zip code. It felt like the fair finally found its "people" in a literal school for makers. Instead of one giant warehouse where you could see every booth from a balcony, the 2025 edition was a bit of a labyrinth. You had to weave through classrooms, typography studios, and the recently opened Mullin Transportation Design Center.
It was tighter. It was more intimate. And yeah, it was a lot more curated.
The Reality of the New Venue
The South Campus of ArtCenter used to be a supersonic wind tunnel for testing aircraft. That’s a cool bit of trivia, but in practice, it meant the fair felt less like a trade show and more like an open-house party. Because the space is divided into smaller rooms and specialized galleries, you didn't get that "fair fatigue" as quickly. You’d wander into the HMCT Gallery to see the Digital Witness exhibition about algorithmic typography, then stumble into a hallway filled with independent publishers from Tokyo or Mexico City.
One thing that didn't change: the crowds. Even with the move to Pasadena, thousands of people showed up.
Parking was, frankly, a nightmare. The organizers were pretty upfront about it, basically begging everyone to take the Metro A Line to Fillmore Station. If you tried to drive, you likely spent forty minutes circling residential blocks. But once you were inside, the energy was high. There’s something about being surrounded by letterpress machines and risograph studios that makes you want to buy a $40 book of blurry polaroids.
Who Was Actually There?
With over 300 exhibitors, the LA Art Book Fair 2025 kept its reputation for mixing the "high" with the "low." You had the heavy hitters like Gagosian (Booth E5) showing off massive monographs for Maurizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami. They even did a 30% discount on some titles, which is about as close to a "sale" as you get in the blue-chip art world.
But the real heart of the fair is always the "Zine Tent" energy—even if there wasn't a literal tent this time.
- Kill Your Idols (Table C1): They dropped a limited edition of THIS MUSIC LEAVES EXIT WOUNDS, which was essentially a deep dive into Germs and Darby Crash ephemera. Only 500 copies existed. People were hovering.
- The Mattazine Society: Jose Tinoco was there with those signature bright-yellow covers. They do these analog, cut-and-paste fanzines about culture outsiders like Cookie Mueller and Dennis Cooper. It felt very "old-school LA."
- Secret Headquarters: They were selling Carly Jean Andrews’ new book, THE DOME Throat Heart Mouth Earth. In a move that felt very on-brand for a fair in a design school, each book came with a screen-printed thong.
The Politics of Print
If you went to Frieze earlier in the year, you saw a lot of corporate polish. LA Art Book Fair 2025 was the opposite. Political themes weren't just present; they were the main event.
There was a massive presence of publishers focusing on solidarity with Gaza, trans rights, and border issues. Miau Ediciones from Mexico City had a whole grid of prints with slogans like "No Border Can Hold Mi Amor." It’s a reminder that art books aren't just coffee table decor. They are often the fastest way for activists to get a message into someone’s hands without a digital gatekeeper.
Mario Ayala’s Visual Stamp
Every year, the fair picks an artist to set the "look." For 2025, it was Mario Ayala. If you’ve spent any time in LA, you know his work—it’s that airbrushed, lowrider-inspired, Chicano muralism aesthetic that feels deeply Southern Californian.
He designed the limited-edition opening night ticket. It wasn't just a piece of paper; it was a collector's item. Opening night on Thursday (May 15) cost $30, while the rest of the weekend was either $5 or free. That Thursday night slot is always a bit of a "see and be seen" vibe, but with Ayala’s involvement, it felt even more tied to local LA culture than usual.
What People Got Wrong About the Move
A lot of people complained online that moving to Pasadena would "kill the vibe." The fear was that it would become too "academic" or too far for the Eastside crowd to travel.
Actually, the opposite happened.
By being at ArtCenter, the fair leaned into the how of making books. There were Riso Dessert Buffets where you could actually make prints using scrap shapes and textures. There were live screen-printing workshops led by Riso Studio Arts. You weren't just a consumer; you were sort of part of the production line.
Exhibitions on view during the fair included:
- Reveal: A look at graduate student thesis books.
- Ciphers: The Grad Art MFA exhibition.
- Dancing in the Dark: A Devin Troy Strother show across two different galleries.
The Shannon Michael Cane Award
It’s worth mentioning that the fair still does a lot to support the "little guy." The Shannon Michael Cane Award was given to four first-time exhibitors. This is crucial because the cost of travel and booth fees can easily bankrupt a small press from overseas. By subsidizing these creators, the fair ensures it doesn't just become a loop of the same twenty galleries every year. They also kept the Volume Grant, which specifically supports BIPOC publishers.
Is the Art Book Fair Still Relevant?
You might wonder why people still flock to a physical building to buy paper in 2025. Everything is digital, right?
Not really.
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There is a tactile "weight" to what you find at the LA Art Book Fair 2025 that Instagram can't replicate. Holding a hand-bound book with a screen-printed cover or flipping through a zine that was photocopied in someone’s garage feels like a radical act of slow living.
The move to Pasadena proved that the fair isn't tied to a specific building in Downtown LA. It’s tied to a community of people who care about the physical object. Whether it’s a $1,400 Barbara Kruger tote bag or a $5 zine about local birds, the impulse is the same: I want to own a piece of someone’s brain.
Actionable Tips for Future Attendees
If you're planning for the next one, or trying to track down what you missed:
- Track the Publishers: Many of the best items from 2025 (like the Kill Your Idols editions) sell out at the fair. Follow publishers like Perimeter Books, Aperture, and Inventory Press now so you can catch their "fair leftovers" online.
- The "Free" Window: Sunday is traditionally the free day, but it’s also the day when the best stuff is gone. If you want the rare stuff, pay the $30 for opening night or the $5 for Friday. It’s worth the price of a latte.
- Mask Up: The fair implemented "Mask Required Hours" on Sunday morning from 11 am to 1 pm. It’s a small detail, but if you’re immunocompromised or just don't like crowds during a flu surge, that’s the time to go.
- Check the Archives: ArtCenter’s Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography is a permanent fixture. Even if the fair is over, you can often visit their gallery to see the kind of high-level design work that defines the LAABF spirit.
The 2025 edition was a pivot point. It traded the sprawling chaos of the Geffen for the structured creativity of a design school. It was different, sure, but in a city that’s constantly rewriting itself, a little bit of change is exactly what keeps the art book scene from getting stale.
Next Steps for Art Book Lovers:
To find specific titles that debuted at the fair, you can browse the Printed Matter online catalog using the "LAABF 2025" tag. Many international exhibitors like shashasha (specializing in Japanese photobooks) maintain "Fair Highlights" sections on their websites for several months after the event closes. If you missed a specific artist talk, check the ArtCenter South Campus YouTube channel, as several of "The Classroom" discussions were recorded for archival purposes.