This collectively annotated bibliography - a publication, a digital platform, and a physical (post-pandemic) library at the Public Art Agency in Stockholm - is the result of a longstanding commitment by the Public Art Agency Sweden (as a governmental agency) to issues of knowledge production in terms of collective and critical work in the expanded field of public art.
With this in mind, the Visible project (Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto / Fondazione Zegna), curated by Judith Wielander and Matteo Lucchetti, was commissioned to compile an annotated bibliography – that is, a classic bibliography with brief explanations of the major themes of each book. The aim was to broaden the scope and reach beyond solely Western academic publications, into other realms and expressions relevant for the extended field of public art on a global scale. The result of this commission is the publication Collectively Annotated Bibliography: On Artistic Practices in the Expanded Field of Public Art, available here for free download, together with a digital resource available on the Visible project’s website, and a physical library consisting of the books presented in this bibliography at the Public Art Agency Sweden’s headquarters in Stockholm.
Researching Collectively
The annotated bibliography is introduced via conversations with the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, the academic researcher Andrea Phillips and the independent curator Gabi Ngcobo. They reflect on what creating a bibliography that informs and inspires artistic practices in the extended field of public art means today.
In 2019 ten curators and researchers from diverse backgrounds and contexts have also been invited to compile a list of ten publications each, annotating the reasons why they have suggested these titles as the most representative of the current debate on the present and future of art in the public domain. Each bibliographical note is supplied with one or more quotes, as well as hyperlinks to the publishers or reviews to explore topics addressed in the suggested books in more detail.
Miguel A. López, LU Pey-Yi, Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga, Narawan Kyo Pathomvat, RAW Material Company, Shela Sheikh, Pelin Tan, Meenakshi Thirukode, Joanna Warsza, Vivian Ziherl
In 2022 new five curators and researchers have been commissioned by the Expanding Academy in dialogue with the Visible project curators to extend the bibliography with 50 new book suggestions. The idea is to involve in the upcoming years more Academies, Universities and Research Centers for Contemporary Art with a focus On Artistic Practices in the Expanded Field of Public Art to trigger and support a common reflection and research process that can be shared with students and artists interested in engaging with long term projects in the public sphere.
The contributions of this new chapter are shared by:
Daniel Blanga Gubbay
is a Brussels-based curator and researcher. He is currently the artistic co-director of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts. He has worked as an educator and an independent curator for public programs, among which: Can Nature Revolt? for Manifesta, Palermo 2018; Black Market, Brussels 2016; The School of Exceptions, Santarcangelo, 2016. He has worked as co-curator for LiveWorks, and was head of the Department of Arts and Choreography (ISAC) of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels.
https://kfda.be/
Ilaria Lupo
is a visual artist born in Milan, who has been based in the Middle East (Palestine/Lebanon) from 2006 to 2018. She develops a public space practice, with a research focused on issues of Political Ecology. She has extensively worked on the kafala system, Environmental Racism in Southern Italy and the history of Waste Colonialism.
Rosa Withley
is an architectural researcher and designer, based in London. Her work explores the financialisation of nature, infrastructural ecologies, and atmospheric politics. Operating between archival film collage, animation, and physical installations, she aims to document and assemble the many stories of more-than-human acts of resilience within contemporary material flows.