New Zealand in the Frankfurt Book Fair’s spotlight

New Zealand has turned the privilege of being the Guest Country of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 10-14 October 2012 into a stunning success.

The New Zealand pavilion attracted a record number of visitors.  New Zealand was present in every hall of the fair, from the Gourmet Gallery to Story Drive, and the number of New Zealand books translated into German has seen a near tenfold increase.

Under the catchy phrase “While you were sleeping”, New Zealand has featured in the German literary and cultural scene over the past twelve months, with its books, films, cuisine, history, and creativity.  Around 80 New Zealand writers and over 100 performers travelled to Germany to help showcase New Zealand as part of an extensive arts and cultural programme.

The Frankfurt Book Fair management praised New Zealand’s presentation as the fair’s “uncontested highlight”, “which won the admiration of trade visitors and general public alike with its charming understatement, its magnificently designed pavilion and its colourful mix of performance, dance, singing, multimedia and high literature”.

This year’s Frankfurt Book Fair attracted more than 280,000 visitors and around 7,300 exhibitors from more than 100 countries.

For more stories and pictures about New Zealand’s presence at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, please visit the official website.

Ongoing event

CONTACT.  Artists from Aotearoa/New Zealand (5 October – 25 November)
The Frankfurter Kunstverein presents the group exhibition “Contact. Artists from Aotearoa-New Zealand”. This is the first comprehensive exhibition of contemporary art from New Zealand to have been curated in Germany for over ten years. The exhibition brings together paintings, photographs, films, and installations by nearly twenty New Zealand artists. Further information is available here.