Texts by Magnus af Petersens, Caroline Elgh Klingborg, Monika Wagner, Joan Simon, Sofia Victorino
Design by Sandra Praun, & Oscar Guermouche
2018, English, Swedish, softcover
223 pages, 15.5 x 22 cm
ISBN 9789188031662
New Materialism was the title of a major group exhibition at Bonniers konsthall in 2018, which brought together thirteen artists who work with textiles, clay, wood, and ceramics, and whose work often involves an exploration of the production process itself. This book highlights contemporary art’s fascination with craft as method and material. It contains older, now classic, texts on the topic as well as new writing about the artists involved. Conceptual art and craft have long been thought of as polar opposites when it comes to ’high’ and ’low’ art, but this polarisation seems increasingly antiquated. New Materialism focuses on the practice of contemporary artists who look to older traditions with their materials, techniques, and references, addressing the notions of consumption, production, and democracy prevalent in our times.
Participating artists: Tonico Lemos Auad, Andrea Büttner, Andreas Eriksson, Theaster Gates, Petrit Halilaj, Katrine Helmersson, Sheila Hicks, Abdoulaye Konaté, Ellen Lesperance, Éva Mag, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Lee Mingwei, Francis Upritchard.