Tacita Dean
A highly anticipated and richly illustrated anthology of essays on the work of artist Tacita Dean. This volume explores the deeply-influential work of Tacita Dean, recognized increasingly as one of the key artists of our times. Emerging initially as part of the generation of the so-called Young British Artists in the 1990s, Dean has reinvented the manner in which artists use analogue mediums such as drawing, photography, and film, prompting major questions in her work around the issues of time, memory, and history. Dean's films embrace long takes that achieve a near-photographic stillness; they have been dedicated to obsolescent objects or stranded buildings, failed quests, and extraordinary figures--usually other artists and writers--nearing the end of their lives. But Dean's contemplative films have been rigorously reinvented as a form over the course of her career and linked to a widening series of projects involving writing, chalk drawings, found photographs, dance, and theater. This anthology explores the artist's expansive practice, gathering essays and interviews by authors from an array of disciplines including art criticism, philosophy, literature, and film. Spanning twenty-five years of the artist's career, the volume includes writings by George Baker, Douglas Crimp, Brian Dillon, Briony Fer, Hal Foster, Mark Godfrey, Louise Hornby, Rosalind Krauss, Elisabeth Lebovici, Jean-Luc Nancy, Tamara Trodd, Marina Warner, Peter Wollen, and the artist herself.
Habeshi Art
Discover a foolproof technique revealed by Jackson Academy students Sully, Himi, and Idris, that simplifies the process of inventing and illustrating unique characters effortlessly. Unleash your imagination and delve into the boundless realm of creating your personal cast of comic book protagonists, steampunk visionaries, sci-fi wonders, and formidable action heroes. From beginners to seasoned artists, this comprehensive tutorial equips you with the skills to confidently bring your concepts to life, guiding you step-by-step through the fascinating journey of the Design Process.
Burning Man
This book centers on a philosophical analysis of creative acts at the Burning Man Festival and their roles in wider social change. With particular focus on the Ten Principles of Burning Man, Linda Noveroske-Tritten posits a re-interpretation of common notions of "self" and "other" as they apply to identity, difference, and the ways that these personal impulses ripple outward from changing individuals into changing societies. Such radical re-imagination of ideology can be most powerful when it occurs in spaces of otherness, of heterotopia. This study casts Burning Man as a heterotopia not only to destabilize what we think we know about visual art, performance, and creative encounters, but also bring these acts into an attitude of immediacy that facilitates previously unimagined behavior and opens out artistic drive into the unknown. This book would be of value for scholars and practitioners in Performance Studies, Theatre and Dance, Art History, Psychology, Phenomenology, Humanities, Architecture and Urban Studies.
The Western Front Drawings By Muirhead Bone
Step onto the hauntingly vivid landscapes of World War I with "The Western Front: Drawings by Muirhead Bone," a masterpiece that captures the raw essence of history through the eyes of renowned artist Muirhead Bone and the words of Earl Douglas Haig Haig. Out of print for decades, this timeless work has been lovingly restored and republished by Alpha Editions, offering a rare glimpse into the past for today s and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint; it s a collector s item and a cultural treasure. Bone s evocative drawings, paired with Haig s insightful commentary, transport readers to the heart of the Western Front, revealing the courage, despair, and resilience of those who lived through the Great War. Each page is a testament to the human spirit, making it a must-have for both casual readers and collectors of classic literature. Immerse yourself in a world where art meets history, and experience a narrative that is as compelling today as it was a century ago. Own a piece of history with this beautifully restored classic, and let it inspire and captivate you for years to come.
The Water-Colours Of J. M. W. Turner
Discover the breathtaking world of J. M. W. Turner, the master of watercolours, in this beautifully restored edition of "The Water-Colours of J. M. W. Turner." Out of print for decades, this timeless masterpiece is now republished by Alpha Editions, offering a rare glimpse into the genius of one of history's most celebrated artists. This edition is not just a reprint; it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, meticulously restored for today's and future generations. Immerse yourself in the vivid landscapes and ethereal beauty that only Turner could capture. With insightful commentary by A. J. Finberg and W. G. Rawlinson, this book provides a compelling narrative that enriches your understanding of Turner's artistic journey. Whether you're a casual reader or a devoted collector of classic literature, this volume promises to inspire and captivate. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of art history, a testament to Turner's enduring legacy and the timeless allure of his watercolours. Secure your copy today and let the magic of Turner's artistry transform your collection.
Encaustic
Unlock the secrets of ancient artistry with "Encaustic: Or, Count Caylus's Method of Painting in the Manner of the Ancients" by Jean-Henri M ntz. This captivating guide, lost to time and now revived by Alpha Editions, offers a rare glimpse into the timeless techniques of encaustic painting and crayon fixing. Once out of print for decades, this beautifully restored edition is more than just a book it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure. Dive into the rich history and meticulous methods that have inspired artists for centuries. M ntz's detailed instructions and insights reveal the artistry of the ancients, making this work invaluable for both aspiring artists and seasoned professionals. Whether you're a casual reader or a classic literature enthusiast, this book promises to enrich your understanding of art's enduring legacy. Experience the allure of a bygone era with this exquisite edition, lovingly preserved for today's and future generations. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of art history this is not just a reprint, but a timeless masterpiece waiting to inspire your creative journey.
Watts (1817-1904)
Unlock the timeless wisdom of "Watts (1817-1904)" by William Loftus Hare, a masterpiece that has been out of print for decades and is now beautifully restored by Alpha Editions. This collector's item is not just a reprint; it's a cultural treasure, meticulously revived for today's and future generations. Dive into the profound exploration of George Frederic Watts, a visionary artist whose work transcends the canvas to touch the very essence of human experience. Hare's insightful narrative captures the spirit of an era, offering readers a unique glimpse into the life and philosophy of a man who painted with both heart and soul. This edition is a must-have for casual readers and classic literature collectors alike, presenting a compelling journey through art, history, and the enduring power of creativity. With its engaging prose and timeless themes, "Watts (1817-1904)" invites you to rediscover the beauty and depth of a forgotten genius. Don't miss the chance to own this exquisite piece of literary history, lovingly restored for your collection.
Johann Joachim Winckelmann on Art, Architecture, and Archaeology
Modern English translations of several of the most important essays of Winckelmann, one of the fathers of art history and archaeology and a strong influence on Goethe and Schiller and Weimar Classicism. Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-68) has long been recognized as one of the founders of modern art history and a major force in the development of archaeology and the study of ancient Greek architecture. He also exerted an influence on the Weimar Classicism of Goethe and Schiller, for whom his description of Greek sculpture as evoking "edle Einfalt und stille Gr繹sse" (noble simplicity and a calm greatness) became a watchword. He contributed to modern scientific archaeology through his application of empirically derived categories of style to the analysis of classical works of art and architecture, and was one of the first to undertake detailed empirical examinations of artifacts and describe them precisely in a way that enabled reasoned conclusions to be drawn about ancient societies and their cultures. Yet several of his important essays are not available in modern English translation. The present volume remedies this situation by collecting four of Winckelmann's most seminal essays on art along with several shorter pieces on the topic, two major if brief essays on architecture, and one longer essay on archaeology. Paired with thisis an introduction covering Winckelmann's life and work. David Carter is retired as Professor of Communicative English at Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, and is former Lecturer in German Studies at the University of Southampton, UK. Among his recently published translations from German are Klaus Mann's novel Alexander (2008) and On Cocaine (2011), a collection of Sigmund Freud's writings on the topic.
Where Art Begins
Unlock the secrets of artistic inspiration with "Where Art Begins" by Hume Nisbet, a timeless masterpiece that has been out of print for decades and is now beautifully restored by Alpha Editions. This collector's item is not just a reprint; it's a cultural treasure, meticulously revived for today's and future generations. Dive into the heart of creativity as Nisbet explores the profound connection between art and the human spirit, offering insights that resonate as powerfully today as they did when first penned. With eloquent prose and captivating anecdotes, Nisbet guides readers through the landscapes of imagination, revealing the essence of artistic expression. Whether you're a casual reader or a devoted collector of classic literature, this edition promises to enrich your understanding of where true art begins. Experience the allure of a book that transcends time, inviting you to explore the depths of creativity and the boundless possibilities of the artistic mind. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of literary history, lovingly restored for those who cherish the enduring power of art.
Visualizing Egypt
Illustrated publications and the role of market forces in shaping representations of Egypt at a time when European colonial interests in the region were at their peak, with 80 color and black and white illustrations In the nineteenth century, following Napoleon Bonaparte's 1798 campaign in Egypt, new possibilities of travel and improvements in printing technology saw an emergence of publishing ventures in France and Britain dedicated to the production of albums and travel accounts featuring images of Muslim Egypt and Islamic architecture and catering to a growing European fascination with the East. Visualizing Egypt analyzes the context and process of production of these highly illustrated publications, from their conceptualization to the finished product and its afterlife, from marketing to the sales of these books, and from circulation to their reception by nineteenth-century audiences. By tracing the long, arduous, and often risky publishing journeys of the makers of these books, including publishers, writers, and artists, such as the Frenchman ?mile Prisse d'Avennes, Paulina Banas reveals a complex terrain of changing market demands, collaborations, and conflicting views, and the unsettled authorship of these works, prompting us to think more profoundly about artistic and intellectual exchange in the world of nineteenth-century Orientalist book production. Visualizing Egypt considers nineteenth-century book illustrations on Egypt and the "Orient" not merely as expressions of enduring ideology and colonial propaganda, but as representations shaped by the often-overlooked commercial exigencies of the growing publishing industry and the reckless competition within it.
Matisse in Morocco
The remarkable and little-known story of Henri Matisse and his groundbreaking time in Morocco, a fertile period that transformed his art and cemented his legacy. In winter of 1912, Henri Matisse--forty-two, nearing mid-career, and yet to find lasting critical acceptance, public admiration, or financial security since exploding to the forefront of the avant-garde in 1905 with his iconoclastic Fauve paintings--was struggling. Once the vanguard leader, the Parisian avant-garde now considered him pass矇. His important early collectors, including Gertrude and Leo Stein, had stopped buying his work and were fully championing Picasso, and he had exhibited little in the last few years. In the face of Cubism that was now dominating the art scene, Matisse needed to get away from Paris in order to advance his distinctive artistic vision. Almost on a whim, he went to Tangier. Matisse had already been profoundly inspired by Islamic art, and was primed for his arrival in the Moroccan city where such art was integrated into everyday life. Despite the challenges of rain, insomnia, depression, and finding models, the sojourn was such a success he returned the following winter, which would lead to even greater artistic triumph. Matisse in Morocco tells the story of the artist's groundbreaking time in Tangier and how it altered Matisse's development as a painter and indelibly marked his work for the next four decades. Through Koehler's research and travel, we experience Matisse's time in Tangier, the paintings and their subjects, his relationships with his wife Am矇lie and his two important collectiors, and then come to understand the impact Morocco--its light, colors, culture, and artistic traditions--had on his art. From Landscape Viewed From a Window, to Zorah on the Terrace, from Kasbah Gate to the dream-like tableau Moroccan Caf矇, these works from Morocco are now recognized as some of the most significant and dazzling of Matisse's illustrious career.
Art and Design in 1960s New York
Art and Design in 1960s New York explores the mutual influence of fine art and graphic design in Manhattan during the long decade of the 1960s.
How the World Fell Into Darkness and Deception
What if the very foundations of our world-government, religion, media, and even morality-were built not to enlighten us, but to deceive us?How the World Fell Into Darkness and Deception is a powerful and unflinching exploration of the forces that have shaped our chaotic modern age. From the rise of industrial empires and imperial ambitions to the manipulation of truth through propaganda, surveillance, and technological control, this book traces the hidden roots of war, corruption, and moral decay that continue to plague societies across the globe.With piercing clarity, this expedition journeys through history's darkest chapters-exposing how power, pride, and greed have eroded the social contract and silenced voices of justice and humanity. It examines how global institutions, modern conflicts, and even personal ethics have been compromised in the pursuit of control and profit.Yet amid the darkness, this book also offers a silver of hope. Through historical awakenings, moral revivals, and the resilience of truth-seekers, it dares to ask: Can humanity rise again?Though-provoking and deeply relevant, this book is not just a chronicle of what went wrong-but a call to awareness, courage, and action for a generation standing at the crossroads.
Aria Dean
A companion to Aria Dean's Abattoir, U.S.A.! Aria Dean's moving image work Abattoir, U.S.A.!, presented in the eponymous exhibition at the Renaissance Society between February and April 2023, surveys the interior of an empty slaughterhouse. This slaughterhouse was built and animated using Unreal Engine, a 3D computer graphics tool for creating virtual environments. The viewer follows a linear path through an impossible architecture--a seamless combination of nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first-century design elements and non-Euclidean spaces. Dean was initially inspired by philosophers Georges Bataille and Frank Wilderson, each of whom address the slaughterhouse in their writings -whether as a metaphor or paradigm--as crucial to the construction of civil society. Abattoir, U.S.A.! also builds on Dean's own research into the slaughterhouse and industrial architecture and the ways they reveal modernism's intimacy with death on conceptual, political, and material levels. This book documents the exhibition as well as selected material from Dean's process and research. It includes essays by film scholar Erika Balsom, who writes on the history of abattoirs and their relation to modernism, Afropessimist theory, and the dehumanizing rationality of capitalism. Architect and writer Keller Easterling contributes a quasi-fictional text from her ongoing series of Draft Teenage Essays, which are part of her collection of experimental writings titled No One Thing. This volume also includes transcripts of two conversations: one between Dean and film historian Bruce Jenkins in which they discuss Dean's work in relation to historical avant-garde films; and another with Dean and co-director of Rhizome Michael Connor, media artist Filip Kostik, and composer Evan Zierk, who created the soundtrack for Abattoir, U.S.A.! Together they discuss the technical process of using Unreal Engine and the nature of virtuality.
Jose Maria Velasco
An overdue introduction to one of the Americas' most eminent nineteenth-century artists, the Mexican painter Jos矇 Mar穩a Velasco Jos矇 Mar穩a Velasco (1840-1912) is considered the greatest Mexican landscape painter of the nineteenth century. In portraying his native country during decades of enormous societal change, he depicted its magnificent scenery, storied past, and rapid industrialisation, most famously in his monumental representations of the Valley of Mexico, the area surrounding modern Mexico City. Velasco was a true polymath, and much more than a painter of the national landscape. He was also a practising botanist, naturalist, and geologist with highly developed interests in archaeology and cartography. His curiosity about the natural world profoundly shaped his work. This book, the first monograph on Velasco to be published outside Mexico, provides a fresh appraisal of his work. Essays by scholars from the United States, Britain, and Mexico focus on his life and career, his interest in contemporary science, and his legacy for artists today. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
Nordic Noir
Showcases a remarkable collection of graphic art from the postwar period to the presentWith many works published for the first time, this lavishly illustrated publication celebrates several Nordic artists who examine the fundamental themes of nature, the environment, identity, and heritage through visually arresting and beautiful prints and drawings. The overwhelmingly spectacular landscape of the region features prominently in many works--dark fjords, vast uninhabited mountain ranges, and heavily forested areas provide a counterpoint to depictions of densely crowded, highly developed urban spaces viewed through the Nordic lens. A growing mood of melancholy and existential angst, emerging from the trauma of the Second World War and the uncertain threat of the Cold War, is often illustrated by a lone, brooding figure. Prints from the 1970s convey a deep criticism of US foreign policy and the Vietnam War but ironically adopt the iconography of American pop art with striking contemporary imagery and bold use of color. The Indigenous S獺mi people living in the northern part of Scandinavia and Russia address issues such as their own heritage and identity within the Nordic world. Regional identity is also explored from pride in the artists' own native countries to coded references to their "Viking" past. The book also features works by contemporary Nordic artists who are constantly challenging the idea of the "perfect" Scandinavian social world often projected by these countries to outsiders.
Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945
An exploration of the important role that art and artists played in Germany in the first half of the twentieth century Highlighting the influences and antipathies among art, politics, identity, and censorship, this book brings together more than seventy painting and sculptures from the distinguished modern art collections of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, including works by artists such as Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, K瓣the Kollwitz, Gabriele M羹nter, and Christian Schad. The book's insightful essays explore the histories of the artists, their artistic movements, and German museums through the political upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century, providing a sense for the German experience of art through four tumultuous decades. Beginning with the Expressionists and their opposition to the conservative artistic regime of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the book moves through the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement that typifyied the modern style of the 1920s; the international vanguards and varieties of abstraction of the interwar period; and the strident artistic challenges to war and Nazi repression. Also included are works that help readers contextualize the ambiguous aftermath of World War II. Essays and a detailed chronology enrich the full scope of the brilliant masterworks showcased in the book. Distributed for the Kimbell Art Museum Exhibition schedule: Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (March 30-June 22, 2025) Albuquerque Museum of Art, NM (August 23, 2025-January 4, 2026) Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN (March 7-July 19, 2026)
Kotozuka Eiichi
Kotozuka Eiichi 琴塚 英一 (1906-1979), born in Osaka, graduated from the Kyoto Kaiga Semmon Gakko (Technical School of Painting) in 1930. From 1932, he exhibited prints with Shun'yokai (Spring Principle Association), an artist's organization that exhibited Western-style art. He also exhibited with the government sponsored Teiten. He was a member of Nihon Hanga Kyokai (Japan Print Association) from 1938. In addition to print making, Kotozuka exhibited Japanese-style paintings with the artists' organization Seiryusha, which he helped found in 1929. He was also a co-founder of Koryokusha in 1948 with fellow artists Tokuriki Tomikichirō (1902-2000), Kamei Tōbei  (1901-1977) and Takahashi Tasaburō (1904-1977) which they set up to publish their creative prints (sosaku hanga). After WWII he created a number of designs for the publisher Uchida Publishing, including his most famous series Eight Snow Scenes of Kyoto.Other series created by the artist include Scenes from Four Historical Cities; Scenes from Shiga, Nara and Kyoto; and Four Scenes from Kyoto. He also participated in the design of the series Fifty Kinds of Flowers (Hana gojū dai no uchi) with Kamei Tōbei  and Tokuriki Tomikichirō and Twenty-Four Views In and Out of Kyoto with Kamei Tōbei
Smile Again...
Due to the success of The Sm;)e Book and demand for more, authors db Burkeman and Rich Browd invite you to celebrate the smiley face's 60 year impact on art, music, pop and counter culture with the second book in the series, Sm;)e again... In the history of graphic design, there is no other symbol that has ever held such a duality--used simultaneously as both a positive mainstream driver and a counterculture subverter of that very mainstream. Sm;)e again... showcases an even more impressive collection of the world's most potent visual communicators! Introduction from the legendary Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.Artists featured: Aurel SchmidtBANKSYBarry McGeeChapman BrothersChris JohansonDestroy All MonstersDavid ShrigleyErik Foss Fred TomaselliGerhard RichterJames JoyceJim JarmuschJosh ReamesKenny ScharfLucas PriceMarilyn MinterMaurizio Cattelan/Pierpaolo FerrariMisaki KawaiNate LowmanRichard PhillipsVelvet UndergroundRob PruittScout ZabinskiStephen PowersStuart StempleTalking HeadsWendy WhiteUgo RondinoneUFO
Restless Infections
Restless Infections is a collection of critical essays exploring artistic interventions in urban spaces, focusing on place-making and the politics of space in South Africa. The writers examine seminal artworks by South African artists, addressing diverse forms of expression such as site-specific performances, immersive installations, film, photography, and online performances. The book is divided into three sections: The Restless City, Public Art for Multiple Publics, and Land, Home, Belonging. It introduces new perspectives on public sphere performance, such as Khanyisile Mbongwa's re-imagining of township alleyways for public encounters and Mbongeni Mtshali's study of everyday performances that challenge colonial and neo-colonial spatial organization. The title, Restless Infections, is derived from the popular Infecting the City public art festival, symbolizing the persistent state of restlessness in a city still grappling with the legacies of colonialism, inequality, and racial segregation. This restlessness is tied to a desire for economic and political stability, expressed through transient art forms like Santu Mofokeng's billboard photography. The book shifts the focus of public art discourse in South Africa from static forms like monuments and statues to dynamic, temporary interventions that question the concept of publicness. These interventions engage with protest, public intimacy, audience interaction, and the disrupted topography of apartheid cities. As the first scholarly volume to read public spheres through a multi- and interdisciplinary lens, Restless Infections argues that the diverse artistic modes explored are essential to understanding the complexities of publicness in South Africa.
Ruth Asawa and the Artist-Mother at Midcentury
How a group of artist-mothers in postwar San Francisco refused the centuries-old belief that a woman could not make art while also raising children. For most of modern history, to be an artist and a mother was to embody a contradiction in terms. This "awful dichotomy," as painter Alice Neel put it, pitted artmaking against caretaking and argued that the best art was made at the expense of family and futurity. But in San Francisco in the 1950s and 1960s, a group of artists gathered around Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) began to reject this dominant narrative. In Ruth Asawa and the Artist-Mother at Midcentury, Jordan Troeller analyzes this remarkable moment. Insisting that their labor as mothers fueled their labor as artists, these women redefined key aesthetic concerns of their era, including autonomy, medium specificity, and originality. Delving into the archive, where the traces of motherhood have not yet been erased from official history, Troeller reveals Ruth Asawa's personal and professional dialogue with several other artist-mothers, including Merry Renk, Imogen Cunningham, and Sally Woodbridge. For these women, motherhood was not an essentialized identity, but rather a means to reimagine the terms of artmaking outside of the patriarchal policing of reproduction. This project unfolded in three broad areas, which also structure the book's chapters: domesticity and decoration; metaphors for creativity; and maternal labor in the public sphere, especially in the public schools. Drawing on queer theory and feminist writings, Troeller argues that in belatedly accounting for the figure of the artist-mother, art history must reckon with an emergent paradigm of artmaking, one predicated on reciprocity, caretaking, and futurity.
Intimate Conversations
More than 130 works from the collection assembled by Drs Nicole and John Dintenfass over fifty years. The Dintenfass Collection serves as a model and a source of inspiration for new and seasoned collectors alike. A different slant on collecting which is not actually just buying from dealers. A lavishly illustrated book that traces the origin of a collector's interest in African art and analyzes the psychological aspects driving the passions for collecting. The Nicole and John Dintenfass Collection is well known and based on aesthetics, and the works have been reproduced in many publications. They have collected with passion, diligence, depth and rigor monumental sculptures and wooden miniatures, from most regions of Africa. Focusing on pieces of the highest artistic quality, this book shares the collectors' personal point of view about collecting and offers to readers anecdotes that provide an additional insight into this world to future and present collectors in their search for African art. Collecting is a passion that often leads to intimate inner conversations or to emotional experiences with the objects themselves. Moreover many collectors share their unique experience of joy and appreciation with twentieth-century artists who also collected African art and who generously imparted advice, suggestions and support in responding to the collectors' enthusiasm. Thanks to the multiple beautiful and sensitive photographs of each object, the viewer has a chance to form an intimate conversation that creates a connection with those African master carvers that have strongly influenced modern realism, cubism and expressionism.
Poetry and Painting
Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Borghese Gallery in Rome and dedicated to the poet Giovan Battista Marino and his relationship with the artists of the Renaissance and Baroque period. After the season of the great Renaissance painters, the prestige of the figurative arts grew as never before in history. During the 16th century, the artist went from being a common craftsman to holding a status equal to that of the greatest intellectuals of his time. The relationship between poetry and painting was consolidated in the 17th century, and became close, even competitive, when artists and men of letters confronted each other with the same themes. In this framework, the great poetry of Giovan Battista Marino (Naples, 1569-1625) plays a fundamental role. His compositions are rich in visual suggestions, derived as much from direct contact with the art collections he visited during his itinerant life as from the memory of the images of the great artists of the past. The Galeria (1620), one of his most famous books, projects onto the walls of an imaginary gallery the names of the artists and works of art that marked the poet's courtly experience.
Claus Bury
The Hanau City Map project by Claus Bury relates to the new city of Hanau, which was formed from 1597 on and is characterized by its strictly geometric pattern of streets and star-shaped ramparts. The walk-on granite sculpture on the square directly next to the Walloon-Dutch church references the city map engraved in copper in 1632 by Matth瓣us Merian and revitalizes Hanau's historical 17th century topography through its relief-like recesses and encompassing seating areas. An installation spanning centuries that brings the history, present, and future into a flourishing dialog for the visitors of Hanau. Text in English and German.
Donald Rodney
Donald Rodney (1961-1998) was one of the most gifted, perceptive, and innovative contemporary British artists of his time. A protagonist from the first generation of Black British-born art students in the early 1980s, Rodney and his peers brought a new dynamic to British art - a hitherto unseen interplay between aesthetics, politics, humour and Black consciousness. Donald Rodney: Art, Race and the Body Politic is the first book-length study of a protean practice which spanned the early 1980s to the late 1990s and included a prodigious output of work across painting, photography, collage, assemblage, sculpture, installation, and new technologies. Across eight meticulously researched chapters, the book examines the social and cultural events which inspired Rodney's artwork and the responses it elicited. From his formative years in the West Midlands as a leading exponent of 'Black Art', to a subsequent decade of unbridled visual innovation and social critique, the book ventures new detailed analyses of key works, exhibitions, artistic influences and collaborations. Deploying recurring metaphors of the 'diseased', traumatised and 'raced' body, Rodney addressed racial and social inequality, legacies of slavery, police brutality, sport, and Black male identity in novel and powerful ways. Attending to the artist's material dexterity and visual acuity, the book considers how and why Rodney's innovative practice uniquely challenged delineations between the political and non-political, personal and public, representation and visibility. Over a generation has passed since Rodney's premature death from the effects of the hereditary blood disorder sickle cell anaemia at aged thirty-six. Despite this, Rodney's work continues to speak to our contemporary moment in a multiplicity of ways. As such, the book provides a much-needed critical perspective and insight to the work and legacy of a nonpareil British artist.
Art and Intimacy in Modern Italy
A much-needed corrective to the history of single authorship, this timely volume offers new insight into the lives and practices of the artist couples, friendships and communities that shaped postwar art in Italy. Bringing together a series of essays from international scholars across a variety of subject fields, the volume considers a range of longstanding intimate working relationships. Questioning the extent to which exchange formed part of artistic production, and the nature of such partnerships, the contributors explore a variety of underexplored case studies that opens to new readings of Italian art informed by key contemporary issues surrounding gender and sexuality, modern Italian identities and transcultural exchange. In covering friendships, bi-racial, trans-cultural and familial relations, the volume adds much needed perspectives to modern Italy's social and political histories, through case studies of well-known as well as overlooked figures and creative partnerships including Mario and Marisa Merz; the de Chirico brothers, William Demby and Lucia Drudi; and Antonia and Ugo Mulas. Three sections guide the reader through different working and affective dynamics: Shadowy Presences, Ins and Outs; and Alliances. The volume explores practitioners in the visual arts, as well as art critics, institutional figures, screen and theatre writers, designers, and photographers. Rather than merely a descriptive or celebratory account of couples and partnerships in postwar Italian art, Art and Intimacy in Modern Italy asks what comes into view and what is left out when thinking about art history through this relational lens.
Donald Rodney
Donald Rodney (1961-1998) was one of the most gifted, perceptive, and innovative contemporary British artists of his time. A protagonist from the first generation of Black British-born art students in the early 1980s, Rodney and his peers brought a new dynamic to British art - a hitherto unseen interplay between aesthetics, politics, humour and Black consciousness. Donald Rodney: Art, Race and the Body Politic is the first book-length study of a protean practice which spanned the early 1980s to the late 1990s and included a prodigious output of work across painting, photography, collage, assemblage, sculpture, installation, and new technologies. Across eight meticulously researched chapters, the book examines the social and cultural events which inspired Rodney's artwork and the responses it elicited. From his formative years in the West Midlands as a leading exponent of 'Black Art', to a subsequent decade of unbridled visual innovation and social critique, the book ventures new detailed analyses of key works, exhibitions, artistic influences and collaborations. Deploying recurring metaphors of the 'diseased', traumatised and 'raced' body, Rodney addressed racial and social inequality, legacies of slavery, police brutality, sport, and Black male identity in novel and powerful ways. Attending to the artist's material dexterity and visual acuity, the book considers how and why Rodney's innovative practice uniquely challenged delineations between the political and non-political, personal and public, representation and visibility. Over a generation has passed since Rodney's premature death from the effects of the hereditary blood disorder sickle cell anaemia at aged thirty-six. Despite this, Rodney's work continues to speak to our contemporary moment in a multiplicity of ways. As such, the book provides a much-needed critical perspective and insight to the work and legacy of a nonpareil British artist.
Patrimonialization on the Ruins of Empire
After the failed Siege of Vienna of 1683, the Ottoman Empire gradually withdrew from Europe. Even so, monumental reminders of its former presence survived across the continent. The contributors to this volume show that the various successor states adopted substantially different approaches towards their Ottoman architectural inheritance. Even within the same countries, different policies appear to have been pursued in different periods, in keeping with differing circumstances. Case studies inquire from diverse vantage points how this heritage has been coped with discursively and materially. Importantly, readers will find that it is almost impossible to disentangle these two levels of action.
Restless Infections
Restless Infections is a collection of critical essays exploring artistic interventions in urban spaces, focusing on place-making and the politics of space in South Africa. The writers examine seminal artworks by South African artists, addressing diverse forms of expression such as site-specific performances, immersive installations, film, photography, and online performances. The book is divided into three sections: The Restless City, Public Art for Multiple Publics, and Land, Home, Belonging. It introduces new perspectives on public sphere performance, such as Khanyisile Mbongwa's re-imagining of township alleyways for public encounters and Mbongeni Mtshali's study of everyday performances that challenge colonial and neo-colonial spatial organization. The title, Restless Infections, is derived from the popular Infecting the City public art festival, symbolizing the persistent state of restlessness in a city still grappling with the legacies of colonialism, inequality, and racial segregation. This restlessness is tied to a desire for economic and political stability, expressed through transient art forms like Santu Mofokeng's billboard photography. The book shifts the focus of public art discourse in South Africa from static forms like monuments and statues to dynamic, temporary interventions that question the concept of publicness. These interventions engage with protest, public intimacy, audience interaction, and the disrupted topography of apartheid cities. As the first scholarly volume to read public spheres through a multi- and interdisciplinary lens, Restless Infections argues that the diverse artistic modes explored are essential to understanding the complexities of publicness in South Africa.
Picturing the (Un)Dead in Beirut
Martyr posters are more than obituary images - they can act as visual politics. Focusing on Rabih Mrou矇's play How Nancy Wished That Everything Was an April Fool's Joke (2007), Agnes Rameder analyses how contemporary artists question and appropriate Lebanese martyr posters. By linking the posters from the Wars in Lebanon (1975-1990) to contemporary posters, she shows that these images continue to the present day, that martyrs are still created and that deaths, such as those who were killed in the explosion on 4 August 2020, are still visually remembered. This study does not focus on how such pictures are perceived by a Western audience but delves into the use and abuse of martyr posters that were intended to be shown to the Lebanese.
Buddhist Bells and Dragons
Buddhist Bells and Dragons: Under and Over Water, In and Out of Japan recovers the essential but unrecognized roles of Buddhist temple bells in the history of art, religious studies, and the history of interregional and international relations with Japan. Specifically attending to the agency of bronze bells made as early as the seventh century, the chapters address how bells function as significant commodities of material and emotional exchange. Abundant Japanese stories and illustrations of Buddhist bells being transported across the sea or sunk in bodies of water are shared to illuminate why the relationship between dragons, bells, and water is so pervasive in Japanese culture. Utilizing object biography, the book analyzes stories of the lives of key bells from multiple perspectives that extend long past any human lifetime. The most famous is the eighth-century bell from Miidera temple, known for its mythical resurfacing from the Dragon King's undersea palace and its legendary relationship to Benkei, a real twelfth-century warrior conflated into the thirteenth-century historical event of the Miidera bell's theft and return. Important bells from Korea, China, and Ryukyu (Okinawa) that had contact with Japan are also treated to offer fresh explanations of the pivotal roles bells held in the wider history of international maritime exchange, in both trade and plunder, that reach far beyond a single nation's narrative. As the first of its kind, this book will open minds to the significance of the art, history, emotion, and religious devotion surrounding bells in Japan as they align with dragons and water. Buddhist Bells and Dragons expands the notions of East Asian religious art by demonstrating the vital history of bells for an audience of scholars and students of not only Buddhist studies, but also art history, religious studies, East Asian studies, and international political history. The final chapter, on the seizure and return of Japanese Buddhist bells during and after the Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945), brings the subject to the near present. All told, the vibrant culture behind Japan's bronze temple bells, long hidden in plain sight, is revealed.
Art and Mysticism in Silesia in the Baroque Period
This volume deals with original mystical initiatives and related artistic realizations, which were created in the circle of the outstanding Silesian poet and theologian, Johannes Scheffler, known as Angelus Silesius, abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Krzeszow, Bernhard Rosa and the most outstanding Silesian artist, Michael Willmann. Although the 17th century Silesian mysticism is now very popular worldwide, we know very little about the relationship between mysticism and art in former Silesia. This issue has never been the subject of a comprehensive study. It is not surprising, therefore, that the research so far overlooked the unusual and unique joint initiative mentioned above by two outstanding Silesian mystics and the best Silesian artist of the Baroque era. Its aim was to combine elements of mystical experience with various forms of mass piety of a counter-Reformation nature. Importantly, all forms of mass mystical piety were closely linked to the use of devotional works of art, which were designed primarily by Michael Willmann. They became the most popular images in the religious culture of Silesia until the end of the 18th century. Just as the literary and philosophical achievements of Silesian mystics led by Angelus Silesius, so also works of art serving mystical piety, which were created by Willmann, we can safely consider as a kind of event and an important contribution of Silesia to the culture of European Baroque.
