This year marks 570 years since Gutenberg invented the printing press—an extraordinary breakthrough that allowed knowledge to be printed and shared widely for the first time. Just as I reflect on this turning point in history, I can’t help but feel moved by the timing: the publication of Babs Haenen’s book is coming to life, guided by someone who carries that same spirit of creative and cultural legacy, Irma Boom. It feels like more than coincidence—it feels meaningful.
My fourth and last visit to Babs’s house in Amsterdam has been marked with great success in finalising her archive and making the first steps towards the critical publication. This trip was also combined with further archival work and was followed by the long-awaited meeting with the publisher that Babs deeply admires. In this blog post, I am excited to share with you some key moments that brought us closer to our shared goal.
The week began with the completion of Babs’s archive. Tackling a mountain of material, we went through over 100 remaining negatives, added their digital metadata and meticulously cross-referenced Babs’ handwritten notebooks to ensure every artwork is accurately documented. Titles, creation dates and dimensions were added piece by piece—each detail adding clarity to the rich tapestry of her oeuvre. We even reached a point where Babs said: “We can’t document my each and every artistic expression of the past 45 years!”.
Additionally, we unearthed decades’ worth of gallery materials, exhibition invitations, sales records, press reviews and more, all of which are now carefully integrated into our completed database. Whenever we hit a gap, we reached out to collectors and museums, slowly weaving together the full story behind Babs’ work.
One of the standout moments was our meeting with the legendary Dutch graphic designer and publisher Irma Boom. She is described as the ‘Queen of Books’ as she has designed over 300 books in a pioneering way beyond traditional book publishing conventions. Irma has conceived the idea of building three-dimensional models in miniature scale to aid in the development of her books. She has, also, been noted as the youngest recipient of the Gutenberg prize as her books are real pieces of art.
Babs and I presented to her in detail the whole artistic project and discussed our ideas about the book concerning the life and work of Babs Haenen. We, also, introduced her to the concept of the “10 Voices”, the art professionals mentioned in more detail in my previous blog, which are supposed to be the foundation of the critical publication. Each of them will be in conversation with one of Babs’ artworks, to create a critical and visual narrative of her evolution as an artist.
Irma Boom showed great enthusiasm about this project and her upcoming collaboration with Babs. We also discussed the possibility of embedding discreet QR codes into the layout, linking readers to extended interviews from the “10 Voices” talking about their connection to Babs Haenen. As for the cover of the book, and having in mind to capture the feeling of movement, we asked Irma to take inspiration from Babs’ ceramic tiles which she created for a fireplace at Magic Megève, a unique boutique hotel in the eponymous French town in the Alps.
While leaving Amsterdam, I was filled with emotions of satisfaction and joy for having completed one important part of the ArchivorumArk project. Each meeting and conversation we already had, and will continue to have with Babs Haenen’s longtime collaborators and friends, moves us one step closer to preserving and celebrating her extraordinary body of work.
As the critical publication takes further shape, I will be sharing more glimpses into its evolution and my experiences. So, keep an eye out!