DEMEUSE, Sarah (ed.)
Bande à part. On Independent Art Institutions

A publication that follows the eponymous symposium at UKS (Unge Kunstneres Samfund / Young Artists' Society) held in Oslo in 2019, Bande à part discusses the reasons, means, and rationales of a range of recent independent institutions, which often have a small economy yet create a considerable impact within their respective art scenes. It takes a close look at how small- to mid-scale institutional models depart, each in a different way, from the traditional formats of the white cube. Structured around a questionnaire of thirteen questions posed to 15 different self-organized art institutions (Asakusa, Kunstverein, Louise Dany, Pivô, RAW Material Company, The Artist’s Institute, castillo/corrales, 1857, Kunsthalle Lissabon, Lulu, New Theater, P!, PRAXES, Signal, and Sørfinnset skole/the nord land) the book brings together a toolbox of examples giving insights into the murky and meticulous work of constructing an institutional platform—the “hows”, “whats”, and “whys”—spoken of by someone on the inside, in the engine room. The focus thus revolves around the operation of alternative mechanisms, instigating unconventional hierarchies and interdependencies between artwork, artist, audience, institution—between participants and authors, agents and aliens. The institutional contributions are bracketed by an introductory roundtable by Rhea Dall, Prem Krishnamurthy, and Chris Sharp, an essay reflecting on the necessity and irreverence of Ashkal Alwan by Christine Tohme, and a conversation between Dall and Chris Kraus on collective practices. [publisher’s note]

Published by Mousse Publishing, 2021
Design by Wkshps
Anthologies / Art Spaces