This book, made by the Canadian artist Kevin Immanuel, to which I contributed an essay, now can be ordered online via Art Metropole:"Michel Foucault Letters" documents artist Kevin Immanuel's ongoing
project archiving the supposed correspondence between the famous
philosopher and a number of galleries and art institutions throughout
Europe, North America, and China. The letters were, in fact, written by
Immanuel himself, both as a literalization of Foucault's emphasis on the
importance of cultivating an "ironic stance" toward one's present
situation--in Immanuel's case, the crisis of being a young artist trying
to strike up a meaningful discourse with art institutions--and as a
poignant critique of the relationship between art institutions and their
patrons.
Each letter contains a polite request to become a member of the
institution, offers a monetary donation, and actively attempts to
initiate a critical dialogue with the institution about its programming
and exhibitions. According to Immanuel, the only part of the letters
that the institutions responded to were those pertaining to fiscal
contribution, proving that the archetypal art institution is both
unwilling and incapable of becoming part of a different discourse, even
with figures of such cultural significance as Michel Foucault.2009
Dutch Art Institute Enschede NL
unpaginated pp.
22 x 15.4 x cm.
softcover
In : publications
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