Donatien Grau

This first retrospective monograph of Los Angeles-based artist Sam Falls (born 1984) spans his work from his beginnings in the 2000s to his most recent exhibitions.Following the traditions of minimalism and land art while pursuing a path toward abstraction, his photographs, paintings, public installations and sculptures have undoubtedly been influenced by nature and the Los Angeles environment in which he lives. Previously a student of physics, linguistics and aesthetics, he has long been interested in how natural phenomena such as light, rain and wind might impact his abstract paintings and sculptures. The idea of a controlled change on materials ranging from steel to cloth creates extraordinary time-based hybridities. The book brings together new essays by writer and curator Trinie Dalton, French critic Donatien Grau, and Los Angeles Hammer Museum Curator Aram Moshayedi, as well as a special portfolio conceived by the artist.

Dans cette enquete au travers de la poesie grecque archaique et classique, d'Homere a Platon, nous partons a la recherche des traces de ces moments originels de la creation occidentale ou la poesie, s'enoncant, se met en scene. On y decouvre des figures de poetes des les origines, une incarnation des plus profonds questionnements createurs par les figures des muses et une parole poetique qui est en permanence a l'interface entre divinites et humanite, ou les discours sont places les uns contre les autres, dans leurs raisonnements et leurs contradictions. La poesie s'affirme comme l'espace commun du sacre et du profane, l'emplacement d'une parole autre, toujours mise en scene. L'ensemble du corpus canonique grec - celui-la meme auquel est attribue le fondement de notre civilisation - est l'objet de cet examen: l'Iliade et l'Odyssee, la Theogonie, les Hymnes homeriques, la poesie lyrique, les trois grands tragiques, Eschyle, Sophocle, Euripide, apres eux le comique Aristophane, donnent a voir les oscillations d'une parole qui integre les conditions de son enonciation et les joue dans la dramatisation de son ambition. Platon assume son role de sceau des poetes. La reference a des auteurs anterieurs, deja explicite dans la poesie lyrique, est omnipresente. L'intertextualite est antique. En prenant au serieux les textes et leurs variations, c'est a la substance meme de cette parole poetique qu'il nous est donne acces.

Nous ecrivons l'histoire politique de l'Empire romain avec des lambeaux de texte. Nous nous fondons sur une bibliotheque lacunaire pour tisser les recits de notre civilisation. Et pourtant, nous avons a notre disposition un texte quasi integral et qui emane directement de l'autorite imperiale: la monnaie. Aucune autre entite de l'histoire humaine n'a produit un corpus aussi coherent, aussi structure, que l'Empire romain. Cet ouvrage entreprend, pour la premiere fois, de le considerer comme un texte autonome, c'est-a-dire relie aux autres formes de discours publics, notamment l'epigraphie, la glyptique et la statuaire, mais aussi appartenant a son propre espace, et surtout, presque complet. Mobilisant les derniers apports de l'histoire economique et financiere des mondes anciens et de l'histoire des images, cette recherche en radicalise les lecons pour ouvrir un nouveau champ: celui de l'etude du monnayage imperial comme texte. Ce texte, par son unite conservee, permet de penser la structure meme du regime imperial, et d'acceder au discours de l'Empire, a son autobiographie, au travers et au-dela de chaque regne. On decouvrira dans ce livre de nouvelles approches du monnayage, sous la forme d'etudes de cas; on se rendra compte de la presence, dans le monnayage meme, d'une methodologie textuelle; on pourra lire, pour la premiere fois, un rassemblement de sources imperiales et ainsi contredire un lieu commun trop frequent, selon lequel le monnayage romain n'apparaissait pas dans les sources epigraphiques et litteraires. La contribution la plus importante de La memoire numismatique de l'Empire romain, cependant, est methodologique: en associant methodes philologique, iconographique et analyse litteraire, c'est l'etude du discours imperial lui-meme qui est ici proposee.

Calder Now documents an exhibition at the Kunsthal Rotterdam which explores the enduring influence of the work of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) on contemporary art. Shown alongside pieces by Calder himself are works by 10 contemporary artists, including Olafur Eliasson, Simone Leigh, Ernesto Neto, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Sarah Sze. The text explores the way their work resonates with Calder's main artistic interests, such as the reflection of light and movement. Three noted art historians elaborate on themes such as the participatory and progressive nature of Calder's art.

In the mid-1970s, Sylvère Lotringer created Semiotext(e), a philosophical group that became a magazine and then a publishing house. Since its creation, Semio-text(e) has been a place of stimulating dialogue between artists and philosophers, and for the past fifty years, much of American artistic and intellectual life has depended on it. The model of the journal and the publishing house revolves around the notion of the collective, and Lotringer has rarely shared his personal journey: his existence as a hidden child during World War II; the liberating and then traumatic experience of the collective in the kibbutz; his Parisian activism in the 1960s; his time of wandering, that took him, by way of Istanbul, to the United States; and then, of course, his American years, the way he mingled his nightlife with the formal experimentation he invented with Semiotext(e) and with his classes. Since the early 2010s, Donatien Grau has developed the habit of visiting Lotringer during his trips to Los Angeles; some of their dialogs were published or held in public. This book is an entry into Lotringer's life, his friendships, his choices, and his admiration for some of the leading thinkers of our times. The conversations between Lotringer and Grau show bursts of life, traces of a journey, through texts and existence itself, with an unusual intensity.

Tom Bishop has, for over sixty years, helped shape the literary, philosophical, cultural, artistic, and political conversation between Paris and New York. As professor and director of the Center for French Civilization and Culture at New York University, he made the Washington Square institution one of the great bridges between French innovation and a New York scene in full transformation. Bishop was close to Beckett, championed Robbe-Grillet in the United States, befriended Marguerite Duras and Hélène Cixous, and organized historic public encounters—such as the one between James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. He was also a scholar, a recognized specialist in the avant-garde, notably the Nouveau Roman and the Nouveau Théâtre. In 2012, Bishop invited Donatien Grau to give a talk at NYU. This invitation led to conversations—many of which are presented in this book—and a friendship. Literature Is a Voyage of Discovery gathers their dialogues, retracing Bishop’s career, his own history, his departure from Vienna, his studies, his meetings, his choices, his conception of literature and life, his relationship to the political and economic world, and the way he helped define the profession of “curator” as it is practiced today, offering a thought-provoking look into one of the leading minds of our time.

Au milieu des ann es 1970, Sylv re Lotringer a cr Semiotext(e), un groupe philosophique devenu magazine puis maison d' dition. Depuis sa cr ation, Semiotext(e) est le lieu de rencontres libres: John Cage lisant Nietzsche, travers Deleuze; punk et philosophie; la possibilit de sexualit s et de politiques alternatives; le dialogue imm diat entre artistes et philosophes. La vie artistique et intellectuelle am ricaine des cinquante derni res ann es en est largement tributaire. Le mod le de la revue et de la maison d' dition tourne essentiellement autour de la notion de collectif, et leur cr ateur Sylv re Lotringer s'est rarement livr la continuit de son parcours personnel: son existence d'enfant cach pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale; l'exp rience lib ratrice puis traumatisante du collectif dans le kibboutz; son activisme parisien dans les ann es 1960; son temps d'errance, qui le mena, par Istanbul, aux tats-Unis; et puis, bien s r, ses ann es am ricaines, la fa on dont il m lait sa vie nocturne l'exp rimentation formelle qu'il a invent e avec Semiotext(e) et avec ses cours. Depuis le d but des ann es 2010, Donatien Grau a pris l'habitude de rendre visite Sylv re Lotringer lors de ses voyages Los Angeles; certains de leurs dialogues ont t publi s ou tenus en public. Ceux-ci nous donnent acc s la vie de Sylv re Lotringer, ses amiti s, ses choix, son admiration pour certains des plus grands penseurs de notre temps. Les conversations montrent des clats de vie, des traces d'un voyage, travers les textes et l'existence elle-m me, avec une intensit rare.

Tom Bishop a, pendant plus de soixante ans, contribu d finir les changes litt raires, philosophiques, culturels, artistiques, mais aussi politiques entre Paris et New York. Comme professeur et directeur du Centre de Civilisation et de Culture Fran aises New York University, il a fait de l'institution de Washington Square l'un des grands ponts entre les nouveaut s venues de Paris et une sc ne new-yorkaise alors en transformation compl te. Tom Bishop tait proche de Beckett, a d fendu Robbe-Grillet aux tats-Unis, s'est li d'amiti avec Marguerite Duras et H l ne Cixous, a organis des rencontres publiques historiques - comme celle entre James Baldwin et Toni Morrison. Il est galement chercheur, sp cialiste reconnu de l'avant-garde, notamment du Nouveau Roman et du Nouveau Th tre. En 2012, il a invit Donatien Grau donner une conf rence NYU. A partir de cette invitation, des conversations, une amiti se sont d velopp es - dont certaines sont rassembl es dans ce livre. Tom Bishop retrace son parcours, sa propre histoire: son d part de Vienne, ses tudes, ses rencontres, ses choix, sa conception de la litt rature et de la vie, son rapport au monde politique et conomique; la mani re dont il a contribu d finir la profession de « curator telle qu'elle se pratique aujourd'hui. Dans ces entretiens, il se pr sente la fois comme un savant, un organisateur, un acteur majeur de la vie intellectuelle: un individu, avec ses d clarations, sa col re, ses refus, sa loyaut , son app tit insatiable de d couverte et de nouveaut , son profond attachement l'universit , lieu de libert et de cr ation.

Over the last two decades, the encyclopedic museum has been criticized and praised, constantly discussed, and often in the news. Encyclopedic museums are a phenomenon of Europe and the United States, and their locations and mostly Eurocentric collections have in more recent years drawn attention to what many see as bias. Debates on provenance in general, cultural origins, and restitutions of African heritage have exerted pressure on encyclopedic museums, and indeed on all matter of museums. Is there still a place for an institution dedicated to gathering, preserving, and showcasing all the world's cultures? Donatien Grau's conversations with international arts officials, museum leaders, artists, architects, and journalists go beyond the history of the encyclopedic format and the last decades' issues that have burdened existing institutions. Are encyclopedic museums still relevant? What can they contribute when the Internet now seems to offer the greater encyclopedia? How important is it for us to have in-person access to objects from all over the world that can directly articulate something to us about humanity? The fresh ideas and nuances of new voices on the core principles important to museums in Dakar, Abu Dhabi, and Mumbai complement some of the world's arts leaders from European and American institutions-resulting in some revealing and unexpected answers. Every interviewee offers differing views, making for exciting, stimulating reading.

Cette etude entreprend d'analyser, pour la premiere fois, la facon dont des protagonistes de l'art et de la litterature modernes intitulerent leurs oeuvres. Si c'est au milieu du XIXe siecle que les peintres commencent a donner a leurs oeuvres des noms qui sont davantage que des titres de convention, l'histoire a commence bien plus tot pour les ecrivains et les poetes. Des annees 1890 aux annees 1920, c'est le recit d'une emulation entre le mot et l'image qui est ici raconte. Mettant en parallele et en relation les pratiques developpees par Paul Gauguin et Alfred Jarry, Paul Cezanne et Emile Zola, Andre Gide et Henri Matisse, Guillaume Apollinaire et Pablo Picasso, Francis Picabia et Tristan Tzara, Andre Breton et Max Ernst, Donatien Grau met au jour une polarite entre deux lignees, l'une accordant a la forme employee, poeme ou tableau, toute son attention, avec un refus du contexte, l'autre voyant dans l'oeuvre d'art picturale ou litteraire une matrice politique, n'existant que dans la relation a l'espace public. Examinant aussi bien des chefs-d'oeuvre que des documents meconnus et inedits, tout en prenant en compte les cheminements individuels de chaque figure evoquee, cet ouvrage propose une nouvelle genealogie des pratiques litteraires et picturales, ecrite a la lumiere des titres. En effet, la nomination par les peintres et ecrivains de leurs oeuvres, source de bien des inventions, se revele etre l'outil majeur qu'ils partagent: image et texte portent egalement des titres, et c'est un signe de la liberte de l'artiste moderne que de pouvoir les concevoir. La prise au serieux des titres modernes pourrait bien offrir la clef de comprehension des rapports intimes entre les arts dans une epoque canonique, ou beaucoup reste encore a decouvrir.

Throughout modernity there has been a clear divide between art and commerce. Objects could either be consumed as commerce or contemplated as art. Today, as museums are facing increasing financial pressure and as stores have become inventive locations for new modes of display, this clear divide has begun to dissolve. There is one place that represents a key stage in this evolution: 10 Corso Como. It was founded in Milan, at that very address, by fashion editor Carla Sozzani and has since expanded to Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and New York. The name “concept store”, which has now spread across our globalized world, was originally coined to describe this new form. This book is the first philosophical inquiry into this new form of store and it sheds new light on how categories that have governed our modern lives, such as commerce, art, fashion, and museum, are being redefined today.

Throughout modernity there has been a clear divide between art and commerce. Objects could either be consumed as commerce or contemplated as art. Today, as museums are facing increasing financial pressure and as stores have become inventive locations for new modes of display, this clear divide has begun to dissolve. There is one place that represents a key stage in this evolution: 10 Corso Como. It was founded in Milan, at that very address, by fashion editor Carla Sozzani and has since expanded to Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and New York. The name “concept store”, which has now spread across our globalized world, was originally coined to describe this new form. This book is the first philosophical inquiry into this new form of store and it sheds new light on how categories that have governed our modern lives, such as commerce, art, fashion, and museum, are being redefined today.

No thinker in the West has had a wider and more sustained influence than the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. From philosophy to drama, religion to politics, it is difficult to find a current cultural or social phenomenon that is not in some aspect indebted to the famous philosopher and the Platonic tradition. It should come as no surprise that contemporary artists continue to engage with and respond to the ideas of Plato. Accompanying an exhibition at the Getty Villa, this book brings together eleven renowned artists working in a variety of media all of whom have acknowledged the role of Plato in their artistic process. Featuring candid interviews with the artists, this volume begins with an essay by the critic and curator Donatien Grau that contextualizes Plato in antiquity and in the present day. Contemporary art, Grau demonstrates, is Platonism stripped bare, and it allows us to reconsider Plato's philosophy as a deeply human construct, one that remains highly relevant today.

The book presents a series of new works produced by Adel Abdessemed for the MAC’s/Museum of Contemporary Arts in Grand-Hornu. The Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed (b. 1971) works in a wide variety of media including animation, installation, performance, sculpture, and video; through his art he addresses contemporary themes and he reflects the bleak picture of the present day. His works, unsettling in their simultaneous beauty and raw reality, have made Abdessemed one of the most visible international artists of our time. This volume is composed of two distinct parts, each showcasing and examining one of two series of brand new, site-specific works created by Abdessemed for the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Grand-Hornu and the Musée d’Art Contemporain in Lyon.Distributed for MercatorfondsExhibition Schedule:MAC’s, Grand Hornu (03/04/18–06/03/18)Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon (03/09/18–07/08/18)

Cet ouvrage constitue la premiere etude philosophique d'une boutique qui defie le terme meme de boutique ; elle a suscite la creation d'une appellation nouvelle, qui, depuis, s'est demultipliee et repandue a travers le monde: concept store. Ce lieu porte le nom de l'adresse ou il a ete fonde a Milan, en 1990: 10 Corso Como. Reunissant galerie d'art, librairie, restaurant, hotel, espace de vente de vetements et d'objets, il est devenu une veritable institution, et a ouvert de nouveaux sites a Pekin, Shanghai, Seoul et bientot New York. Manifestant la vision de sa fondatrice, Carla Sozzani, figure centrale de la mode, 10 Corso Como invite a repenser les categories que nous considerions les plus figees - le temps, le gout, la contemplation -, et a entrer dans une existence merveilleusement instable, ou nous sommes rendus sensibles a toutes les choses qui existent avec nous; un musee a ciel ouvert.