Obrist-isms
Published on 16. September 2025
Book
Hardback
168 pages
978-0-691-27984-8 (ISBN)
Description
A thought-provoking collection of quotations from one of the most influential figures in the contemporary art world
Hans Ulrich Obrist is one of the most celebrated curators working today and has twice been ranked #1 on ArtReview's annual list of the most important people in the art world. As the primary or lead author of more than forty volumes of interviews with contemporary artists, of numerous exhibition catalogues for museums around the world, and of influential books on curation, he has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary art and culture. Drawn from Obrist's writings, interviews, and other sources, Obrist-isms gathers a wealth of fascinating quotations from across his career, offering insights on everything from his approach to curating and his affinity with philosopher Edouard Glissant to his interest in artists' unrealized projects.
Obrist-isms is organized into seven thematic sections: Early Years; Curating and Exhibitions; Artists and Conversations; Archiving, Collecting, and Unrealized Projects; Edouard Glissant and Mondialite; On Sleep and Time; Art and the Environment; and Technology and the Future of Art. The book also features an introduction and a brief chronology of Obrist's life and career.
"Art is the highest form of hope."
"The motor, the engine, is curiosity. Curating is connected to curiosity."
"What is happening outside the museum is just as important as what's happening inside. Make the walls porous. Think beyond exhibitions. Foster alliances."
"If there was ever a time that the world needed artists, it is now. We need their radical ideas, visions, and perspectives in society."
"There are many amazing unrealized projects out there: forgotten projects, misunderstood projects, lost projects, desk-drawer projects, poetic-utopian dream projects, unrealizable projects, partially realized projects, censored projects and so on."
"I believe in generosity as a medium."
Hans Ulrich Obrist is one of the most celebrated curators working today and has twice been ranked #1 on ArtReview's annual list of the most important people in the art world. As the primary or lead author of more than forty volumes of interviews with contemporary artists, of numerous exhibition catalogues for museums around the world, and of influential books on curation, he has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary art and culture. Drawn from Obrist's writings, interviews, and other sources, Obrist-isms gathers a wealth of fascinating quotations from across his career, offering insights on everything from his approach to curating and his affinity with philosopher Edouard Glissant to his interest in artists' unrealized projects.
Obrist-isms is organized into seven thematic sections: Early Years; Curating and Exhibitions; Artists and Conversations; Archiving, Collecting, and Unrealized Projects; Edouard Glissant and Mondialite; On Sleep and Time; Art and the Environment; and Technology and the Future of Art. The book also features an introduction and a brief chronology of Obrist's life and career.
"Art is the highest form of hope."
"The motor, the engine, is curiosity. Curating is connected to curiosity."
"What is happening outside the museum is just as important as what's happening inside. Make the walls porous. Think beyond exhibitions. Foster alliances."
"If there was ever a time that the world needed artists, it is now. We need their radical ideas, visions, and perspectives in society."
"There are many amazing unrealized projects out there: forgotten projects, misunderstood projects, lost projects, desk-drawer projects, poetic-utopian dream projects, unrealizable projects, partially realized projects, censored projects and so on."
"I believe in generosity as a medium."
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
2 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 114 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
172 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-27984-8 (9780691279848)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss-born curator, critic, and art historian, and the artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries in London. His many books include 140 Artists' Ideas for Planet Earth; Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects; Ai Weiwei Speaks; Ways of Curating; and A Brief History of Curating. Larry Warsh has been active in the art world for more than thirty years as a publisher and artist-collaborator. He is the editor of many books, including Abramovic-isms, Basquiat-isms, Haring-isms, Holzer-isms, Ono-isms, Warhol-isms, and Weiwei-isms (all Princeton).