Critical Laboratory: The Writings of Thomas Hirschhorn

Writings by Thomas Hirschhorn, collected for the first time, trace the development of the artist's ideas and artistic strategies.

For the artist Thomas Hirschhorn, writing is a crucial tool at every stage of his artistic practice. From the first sketch of an idea to appeals to potential collaborators, from detailed documentation of projects to post-disassembly analysis, Hirschhorn's writings mark the trajectories of his work. This volume collects Hirschhorn's widely scattered texts, presenting many in English for the first time.

In these writings, Hirschhorn discusses the full range of his art, from works on paper to the massive Presence and Production projects in public spaces. "Statements and Letters" address broad themes of aesthetic philosophy, politics, and art historical commitments. "Projects" consider specific artworks or exhibitions. "Interviews" capture the artist in dialogue with Benjamin Buchloh, Jacques Ranci re, and others. Throughout, certain continuities emerge: Hirschhorn's commitment to quotidian materials; the centrality of political and economic thinking in his work; and his commitment to art in the public sphere. Taken together, the texts serve to trace the artist's ideas and artistic strategies over the past two decades. Critical Laboratory also reproduces, in color, 33 Ausstellungen im ffentlichen Raum 1998-1989, an out-of-print catalog of Hirschhorn's earliest works in public space.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 07/19/2013
ISBN: 9780262019255
Pages: 440
Weight: 2.82lbs
Size: 9.27h x 7.56w x 1.24d

Review Citations: Library Journal 10/15/2013 pg. 94