Assuming Asymmetries

- Blurb -

Conversations from some of the most complex and yet underresearched European and US-American public art exhibitions of the 1980s and 1990s. Assuming Asymmetries is based on the conversations between the curators and participants from some of the most complex and yet underresearched European and US public art exhibitions of the 1980s and 1990s. The discussions include and unpack such influential projects as "Culture in Action" curated by Mary Jane Jacob in 1993; "Sonsbeek 93" curated by Valerie Smith; "Endlichkeit der Freiheit," an exhibition initiated by Heiner M ller and Rebecca Horn, on both sides of the former Berlin wall in 1990; "Construction in Process," an artist-initiated site-specific exhibition in early 1980s L dz, Poland; "Five Gardens" curated by Carlos Capelan in 1996 in Simrishamn and Ystad, Sweden, and "U-media" in 1987 Ume , Sweden. The dialogues focus on such questions as- How does one ethically and culturally deal with asymmetries? How have the notions of situated or embedded knowledge changed over the last decades? How can artworks actually create meaning from the place where they' re produced? What were the early attempts of de-monumentalizing art outside of the museums; and, finally, what actually is non-extractive curating?