Kunst werkt - mensen reageren op hedendaagse kunst

This book was made in collaboration with Barbara Iwanicka, and was commissioned by the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (AHK) through the Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam. It mainly discusses the notion that ‘everyone can have something valueable to say about art’ while demonstrating this statement by discussing the selected artworks by three contemporary Netherlands-based artists: Robert Wevers, Jeroen Kooijmans, and Luna Maurer. Its content derives from a two-year-long project entitled ‘No Landscapes’ about the interpretation and appreciation of art by people in various social groups.

The design concept consists of two main ideas:

1. The questioning of the authority of the art interpreter, by attempting to level the hierarchy between profiled art commentators (art critics, scholars, etc.) and people outside the art community (elementary and high school students, youth of autism, people in elderly care, etc.). All the authors’ last names were removed, leaving only their first names. While underlining the non-importance of the authority of the commentator, this removal produces an informal tone.
2. The translation of the context in which the commenting sessions were performed, by way of tilting text, creating the notion of a multitude of contributors.

The project was initiated by professors of art teaching Terry Barrett (University of Ohio) and Robert Smit (AHK). Offset-printed in an edition of 2000, 208 pages, 162×255 mm, ISBN 978-90-78964-60-5, 2010.

The book may be ordered by emailing Ingrid Grunwald at AHK.