Marta Gnyp has chosen to interview the most trailblazing names in contemporary art to reflect on the changes occurring today in the artistic canon, practices and the lives of artists, in order to map its evolution and the directions we are headed in. The book is divided in five chapters, each addressing an important process that has been shaping the art world in the recent years.
Rewriting the Canon deals with rediscovery and revaluation of several outstanding post-war artists featuring Joan Semmel, Stanley Whitney and Claudette Johnson. In Extending New Media, artists Cory Arcangel and Alex da Corte speak about their artistic practices that critically embrace and reflect on the new technical possibilities. Interviews with Jordon Wolfson and Mohamed Bourouissa in New Approaches to Truth and Morality pose questions about the ethics of art making and the idea of good and bad, among other things. New Classic Art features Claire Tabouret, Adriana Varejao, Daniel Richter and Jenny Saville, four artists that on the one side continue working in the grand art historical tradition, and on the other make this tradition very contemporary.
Finally, via fascinating personal interviews, Marta Gnyp speaks with curators, business people and collectors to reflect on the changing art systems and markets: Koyo Kouoh, curator and director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art, Pamela Joyner, American businesswoman and art collector, Marion Maneker, President and Editorial Director of Art Media.
