Hans-Ulrich Obrist
do it (fist edition)
Association Française d’Action Artistique 1994
Exhibition publication
Softcover, np
16,2 × 11,2 x 1,5 cm
Texts in German, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian
Rare first edition
Published by l’Association Française d’Action Artistique (AFAA) and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the first “do it” exhibition curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, this very rare publication brings together the first twelve instructions from the participating artists.
do it is a project born in Paris in 1993 as a conversation between Obrist and the artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier. Obrist was concerned with how exhibition formats could be rendered more flexible and open-ended. This discussion led to the question of whether a show could take “scores,” or written instructions by artists, as a point of departure, each of which could be interpreted anew every time they were enacted. To test the idea, Obrist invited 12 artists to send instructions, which were then translated into 9 different languages and circulated internationally as this book.
Participating artists : Christian Boltanski, Maria Eichhorn, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Paul-Armand Gette, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Fabrice Hybert, Ilya Kabakov, Mike Kelley, Alison Knowles, Bertrand Lavier, Jean-Jacques Rullier and Rikrit Tiravanija.
This second-hand publication bears traces of its previous life :
Discoloured spine, lower corner of the cover slightly worn.
Interior in perfect condition.
Price on request