This annotated bibliography consists of three parts: a publication, a digital platform and a physical (post-pandemic) library. It 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. Our 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.
Background: Inspire Further Reading and Spread Knowledge
The idea behind this commission was twofold: firstly, as stated above, we wanted to create a resource to broaden the knowledge base regarding the extended field of public art, and, secondly, we wanted to reconnect to a previous activity of Public Art Agency Sweden, namely the Informationscentrum (Centre for Information) which ran from 1976 to 1996 and was a resource for the art produced by the Agency, consisting of an archive and a library that were open to the public. The bibliography, resulting from this commission, will in a similar manner, facilitate both academic and artistic research, as well as being a resource for artistic and curatorial commissions and collaborations. With this we hope to further develop strategies for knowledge production within and beyond the agency.
What It Is: A Collective Work
The annotated bibliography is introduced via conversations with a philosopher (Emanuele Coccia), an academic researcher (Andrea Phillips) and an 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.
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.
Contributors:
Miguel A. López
LU Pey-Yi
Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga
Narawan Kyo Pathomvat
RAW Material Company
Sheila Sheik
Pelin Tan
Meenakshi Thirukode
Joanna Warsza
Vivian Ziherl
Here you can find the digital version of Annotated Bibliography: On Artistic Practices in the Expanded Field of Public Art.