A BAK Critical Reader Series in Artists’ Practice
In parallel to BAK's acclaimed series of Critical Readers in Contemporary Art, the series Critical Readers in Artists' Practice examines the practice and body of work of artists who we believe manage to shift the understanding and the potential of art in the changing world of today, and of tomorrow.
More rigorous and comprehensive than the formats of a traditional catalog or artists book usually allow, these readers attempt to offer serious intellectual, speculative engagement with artists’ work across a spectrum of perspectives and critical approaches. This reader examines the work of Rabih Mroué, actor, director, playwright and artist based in Beirut, whose complex and diverse practice spans disciplines and formats such as music, performance, theater, and visual art. As one of the key artistic voices in Lebanon and beyond, Mroué's practice explores how varied modes of art can open up a space of possibility in connection to civic and political imagination. The reader includes a range of commissioned critical essays, new translations, and anthologized texts by artists, art historians, curators, and thinkers. Rabih Mroué: A BAK Critical Reader in Artists' Practice is co-edited by Maria Hlavajova (artistic director BAK) and Jill Winder with associate editor Cosmin Costinaş. It includes contributions by Maaike Bleeker (art historian), Keti Chuhkrov (theorist), Fadi El Abdallah (poet and jurist), Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (filmmakers), Nataša Ilić (curator), Bilal Khbeiz (artist and poet), Anders Kreuger (curator and writer), Hila Peleg (curator and filmmaker), Stella Bruzzi (media theoretician), Walid Raad (artist), Jalal Toufic (artist and writer), Kaelen Wilson-Goldie (art critic) and Akram Zaatari (artist). Language: English