Our art spaces, musea and galleries are all closed due to Covid-19. Now is the time to read artist's novels ! With a book (printed, it goes without words) we can all hold the art work right into our hands. We can even smell it. As the main supporter of David Maroto's PhD trajectory, the DAI is thrilled to direct your attention to the beautiful printed and revised edition of his dissertation, THE ARTIST'S NOVEL in two parts. Part 1: A NEW MEDIUM ~ a theoretical examination with an essay by David Maroto, accompanied by interviews with artists & Part 2: THE FANTASY OF THE NOVEL, a novel by David Maroto. Published by Mousse.
Why do artists write novels? What impact does the artist’s novel have on the visual arts? How should such a novel be experienced? In recent years, there has been a proliferation of visual artists who create novels as part of their broader art practice. They do so in order to address artistic issues by means of novelistic devices, favoring a sort of art predicated on process and subjectivity, introducing notions such as fiction, narrative, and imagination. In this sense, it is possible to see the novel as a new medium in the visual arts; yet very little is known about it. This two-volume publication is the first to explore in depth the subject of the artist’s novel.
THE ARTIST’S NOVEL: A NEW MEDIUM
An essay by David Maroto, accompanied by interviews with Benjamin Seror, Cally Spooner, Mai-Thu Perret, Goldin+Senneby, Francis McKee, Vivian Ziherl, Natasha Soobramanien, Clive Phillpot, Alex Cecchetti, Łukasz Gorczyca, Jan Jasiński
Part 1, A New Medium, is a theoretical examination that looks critically at the different ways contemporary artists employ the artist’s novel, focusing mainly on four key case studies: Benjamin Seror’s Mime Radio, Cally Spooner’s Collapsing in Parts, Mai-Thu Perret’s The Crystal Frontier, and Goldin+Senneby’s Headless. It seeks to situate the artist’s novel within the broader context of the visual arts in the hopes of sparking a much-needed discussion about a practice that has long been ignored by critical strands in art discourse. It includes valuable resources, such as the only existing bibliography of artists’ novels.
THE ARTIST’S NOVEL: THE FANTASY OF THE NOVEL
Part 2, The Fantasy of the Novel, is a research project in the form of a novel; it examines the process of creating an artist’s novel derived from five episodic performances and an exhibition. The creative process was affected by the circumstances of production, including intersubjective relationships usually invisible to audiences. The protagonist assumes the role of a detective who tries to understand the conditions under which an artist decides to write, and how this writing is possible within an artistic setting.
Published as a two-volume publication. The price for both Part 1 and Part 2 is € 35 / $ 40 (separate: € 22 / $ 25). To proceed with the combined order, please write to distribution@moussemagazine.it (or contact our partner WALTERbooks in Arnhem: krista@walterinarnhem.nl).
Read more about Roaming Assembly# 26 ~ Not a Neutral Conduit: Fictocritical Approaches in Artistic Research which David Maroto (DAI, 2013) curated for and hosted by DAI on Sunday, 1 December, 2020 in Antwerp.