Marc-Olivier Wahler Libri

Exploring the intersection of art and perception, this book features a foreword by Marc-Olivier Wahler that connects a contemporary art exhibition to a teleportation magic trick from Christopher Priest's novel The Prestige. An interview with curator Christophe Kihm delves into how the brain interprets art and the language used to discuss it, shaping the future of museums. The collection includes an original essay by Priest and a text by Francis Ponge, emphasizing the significance of belief and visual perception in understanding art.

Published on the occasion of the major exhibition of the same title, this catalogue is the first to place the practices of artists Mike Kelley (1954-2012) and Jim Shaw (b. 1952) alongside each other in historical context, approaching their work as parallel visual meditations on Midwestern culture in particular and on American culture more broadly. The catalogue begins with their meeting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and early collaborations, branching out to present major bodies of work from each artist with a specific interest in tracing the lines of influence as rooted in the vernacular visual cultures of Michigan and the Midwest. Illustrations of the artists' source material, their individual works, and installation views from the exhibition feature prominently throughout the publication, and essays by exhibition co-curators Marc-Olivier Wahler, Carla Acevedo-Yates, and Steven L. Bridges also unpack the many narratives layered in the exhibition, including an interview with Jim Shaw.

Secret societies, far-fetched orders and fraternities, evangelical and fundamentalist movements, New Age spiritualists, Scientologists, Mormons, Freemasons, ultraconservatives and all kinds of conspirators, encyclopaedias for children and even Dr. Netter’s famous medical illustrations – Jim Shaw is showing in this catalogue his incredible collection of didactic art that accounts for his main source of inspiration. Renowned for his striking paintings, drawings, videos, installations and performances, Jim Shaw is also a compulsive collector, constantly on the hunt for pop culture pieces in thrift stores or on the internet. The catalogue gives the reader the chance to dive into an overflowing world of paintings, sculptures, brochures, t-shirts, books, vinyls and educational material, that recycle the myths and beliefs of America.