Chisenhale Gallery launches the second title in its Chisenhale Books series, IN A DREAM YOU CLIMB THE STAIRS. Marking the finale of Gale’s Chisenhale exhibition, her first artist’s book contains an intergenerational conversation with conceptual artist Barbara Kruger and a short meditation by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hilton Als. These feature alongside contributions by artist and Chisenhale Gallery alum P. Staff and Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron, author of Afro-Dog: Blackness and the Animal Question. Through the lens of a multifaceted practice, Gale examines themes of invisibility and audibility, interrogating the dynamic between performer and spectator, structure and decay. Produced with great care, this extraordinary book is reflective of the artist’s practice. Four visual essays, hand-annotated by Gale – ‘Absence’, ‘Ruin’, ‘Silence’, ‘Dog’ – explore themes central to the work. IN A DREAM YOU CLIMB THE STAIRS deploys throw-outs, gatefolds, five different types of papers, and a subtly disruptive design to delve into Nikita Gale’s art.
‘A meaningful reflection on 21st century artmaking with some of the most pre-eminent thinkers on the theme. The conversations that arrive with Gale’s work at Chisenhale and beyond are essential landmarks in how we discuss contemporary art practices today. Altogether these conversations – alongside Gale’s visual interludes – are formatted into a beautiful publication.’
– Katy Hessel
‘The catalog is truly a terrific project. Wow. I’ve spent so much time with the texts and images. Such an evocative gathering of ideas, picturings, poetics, commentary and a whole lot more. I’m so happy to have been included.’
– Barbara Kruger
Details
Text by Zoé Whitley, P. Staff, Hilton Als, Barbara Kruger and Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron
Book design & creative direction by Billie Temple
26.0 x 20.5 cm, portrait
268pp with foils, multiple papers, short pages and gatefolds
Softback
Published by Hurtwood Press
Nikita Gale’s work applies the lens of material culture to consider how authority is negotiated within political, social and economic systems. Gale’s exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery marks her first European institutional solo show, following exhibitions at MoMA (New York) and Kunstraum Kreuzberg (Berlin) among several others. She is represented by Commonwealth & Council (Los Angeles, USA), 56 Henry (New York, USA) and Reyes | Finn (Detroit, USA).
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