In anticipation of the exhibition History on One Leg | William Kentridge, A4’s Library maps a bibliography of publications featuring the artist from 1978 onwards, unpacking over 200 monographs, surveys, miscellaneous print matter, and a selection of documentary films in the Reading Room.

A4 is the temporary custodian of this near-comprehensive collection, which was recently acquired from a private collector’s library. Only a handful of publications remain outstanding. Notably, almost everything included, regardless of format (from museum catalogue to merchandise), has been signed by Kentridge.

In cataloguing this collection, the team remains particularly attentive to examples and articulations of process, such as scenes from the studio or facsimiles of spreads from working notebooks. Visitors are invited to spend time engaging with the collected publications and associated ephemera, which are complemented by a selection of artworks and an informal screening programme.

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A4's Reading Room is an adaptable space attached to A4's Library and Archive. Intended to solve for form depending on its required function, it as at once a book-ish environment for reading and contemplation and a place to unpack artists' archives. The Reading Room's inter-leading doors become walls when locked to create a stand-alone spacial research studio that hosts residents and practices site-specific work that most-often is connected to packing and unpacking projects as a form of research.