Criticism, theory & documents

A provocative and stimulating manifesto by Benjamin Bratton that promotes new ways of inhabiting (and artificialising) the planet, facing the environmental, economic and social crisis that radically belies the possibility of a continuation of the current globalised capitalist model.

First French translation of a seminal text of media theory, which this edition contextualizes, notably through the debate it provoked with Baudrillard.

This manual provides the current state of knowledge on the functioning of nature in an urban environment: its ecology.

A polyphonic investigation that reveals the potential of fictional and philosophical suggestion of the animation of things, questioning the persistence of forms of animism within the project of modernity, in the horizon of a questioning of the anthropocentric foundations of the Western culture.

French edition of the compelling narrative that goes behind the scenes with the world's most important living artists to humanize and demystify contemporary art.

A collective and transdisciplinary reflection on the notion of distraction, thought both as the stigma of our societies and as its antidote.

Four decades of incisive writing about contemporary art, fired by enthusiasm and scepticism alike, by the eminent German cultural critic and commentator Walter Grasskamp (essays on Joseph Beuys, Hans Haacke, Duane Hanson, Jörg Immendorff, Axel Kasseböhmer, Alex Katz, Anselm Kiefer, Per Kirkeby, Karin Kneffel, Eduardo Paolozzi, Sigmar Polke, Markus Raetz, Gerhard Richter, Sarkis, Aldo Walker, Ben Willikens).

An analysis of the technocritical acts and strategies by artists, hackers and activists in the (post-)digital age.

The first English-language anthology of writings by the Slovak critic Tomáš Štrauss.

An essay on art exhibition.

Art as a set of practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of human relations and their social context: the manifesto that has renewed the approach of contemporary art since the 1990s.

Erin Manning expands her research on movement politics to the concept of minor gesture.

The complex architectures of the new “memory palaces”, from libraries, archives and museums to the IT structures, databases and server farms that feed the flow of data on the network.

An analysis of the relationship between art and literature over the last six decades.

This manual provides the current state of knowledge on the functioning of nature in an urban environment: its ecology.

This hybrid publication's starting point relies in ten years of activities of LiveInYourHead, Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD)'s exhibition space. Between a catalogue, an archive and a collective publication, this book explores the relationships between art education and curatorial knowledge.

An overview of study programs teaching socially engaged art.

The reconciliation of art and life, at the heart of the reflection and practice of many modern and contemporary movements.

Two texts by New York artist Zoe Beloff, pioneer in the field of “media archeology”, whose works are at the crossroads of avant-garde art, popular cultures and critical theory.

Interview with one of the great figures of art photography today, in which Sophie Ristelhueber reflects on her own carrer and practice.

A history of photography through its accidents.

Art critic Rahma Khazam brings together a heterogeneous collection of authors offering a variety of interpretations on the work of artist and poet Franck Leibovici.

A collection of texts about time and artists working with it.

A collection of texts about space and artists working with it.

Six essays dealing with still rarely discussed aspects of the work of Joseph Beuys, Max Bill, Fischli | Weiss and Ai Weiwei, but also Jules Verne, in their relationship with the various artistic concepts of Marcel Duchamp.

A synthesis of the multiple dimensions of the protean oeuvre of a legendary artist, which we measure today to what extent they find an echo in contemporary environmental, cinematographic, aesthetic and social issues.

A landmark study on the psychological effects of oppression on Black Americans during the 1940s.

A critical perspective on Guyton's work.

Comparative Studies of Neo-Avant-Gardes in a Bipolar World.

This book, the first major publication in English devoted to the Korean critic and art historian Lee Yil (1932-1997), is a collection of texts on aesthetics, theory and history of art by the main observer of “Dansaekhwa”, or Korean monochrome. It also brings together essays and monographic prefaces that gave wide coverage to artists who had been active from the end of the Korean war up until the mid-1990s.

Crossing perspectives on performance acts within the discursive space of contemporary art.

A reflection on history and the historical document, based on the chronicles of a village written in the 19th century by a Walloon worker.

The first French translation of the landmark work by media theorist Friedrich Kittler.

The essays gathered in this volume explore interactivity in art, in a historical and interdisciplinary perspective.

This book focuses on the distinctiveness of the stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. These stars were cast for their specific dancing or singing skills, that could be recognized by audiences and sold by the studios' publicity machine. They acquired Hollywood stardom through a dialogue with highbrow culture and mass industry, that cinema tried to bring into harmony. This collection brings together the contributions of American, British and French researchers.

This book focuses on the distinctiveness of the stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. These stars were cast for their specific dancing or singing skills, that could be recognized by audiences and sold by the studios' publicity machine. They acquired Hollywood stardom through a dialogue with highbrow culture and mass industry, that cinema tried to bring into harmony. This collection brings together the contributions of American, British and French researchers.

An ethnological study of witchcraft in West Africa, based on field research conducted in five countries between 1994 and 2000.

A transdisciplinary study on the Tutsi genocide, tackling various issues related to the writing and the transmission of the genocide's history, to its political and judicial dimensions, and to its media and artistic representations.

A collection of essays focusing on the notions of invention and image in art.

The interplay of literature and contemporary art.

Art criticism: historical approach and current practices

Drawing on examples from France and the United States, this publication offers a multidisciplinary reflection on a new type of engagement of art in democracy, renewing relationships between creation, culture and society (adaptated from a French publication on the New Patrons's activities, updated with contributions from the Anglo-American intellectual scene).

A collection of essays exploring the current contemporary art scene through the analysis of the works of ten artistic figures of the present days.

An history of assemblage art in California from 1950 to 1970.

The avant-garde of the 1990s.