dOCUMENTA (13) Catalog 1/3: The Book of Books

by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Chus Martínez, Ayreen Anastas

"The Book of Books" offers an overview of Documenta 13's guiding themes through a compilation of art projects and essays. Documenta 13's Artistic Director Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev has proposed the 2012 festival as a refusal of conceptual unity, instead "choreographing many different kinds of materials, methodologies and forms of knowledge." Responding to the political and economic uncertainty of our times, Christov-Bakargiev declares that "Documenta must aspire, by contrast, to instead exercise imagination as a space of accuracy in which to practice and challenge our definition of the political." "The Book of Books" reproduces the entire "100 Notes-100 Thoughts" series of publications (either as facsimiles or with entirely new layouts), and is supplemented by essays from Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Chus Martinez, Franco Berardi and others, plus statements by some of the festival's agents and advisors. Illustrated short biographies of all participating artists are included, along with a catalogue of the works on display.

Genres: Art

787 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev was the Artistic Director of dOCUMENTA (13) which opened in Kassel on June 9, 2012, and of the 2008 Biennale of Sydney. Previously, she was the director of the Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Torino at Castello di Rivoli in Turin until 2009, and chief curator of the same museum from 2002 to 2008. She wasalso co-curator of the 2005 Turin Triennale. She is interested in the relations between the historical avant-garde and contemporary art through exhibition-making.

Reviews

[Mary Louise Schumacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never quite be done with this book, which I've jotted notes in like an art bible. It's changed me brain around a bit, as did Documenta (13) itself. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how our relationship to art is changing today.

[Mills College Library]

709.04 D6374 2012 v.1