The Practice – What Moves Artists

For Marina Abramović, eroticism is by no means limited to the romantic relationship between two people, but acts as a collective force in many areas of life. According to the performance artist, erotic energy must find a public form through artistic and political practices in order to prevent it from leading to violence and war. In her updated work Balkan Erotic Epic, she ironically and provocatively plays with collective longings for an erotic relationship with the community, the land and the cosmos. In doing so, she liberates female eroticism from a patriarchal view that seeks to limit it to reproduction, marriage and motherhood. For Abramović, eroticism is not reserved for youth, but is enhanced by the wisdom and power of age.

In this book, Abramović talks about female sexuality after menopause, the eroticism of the masses and her love for the planet. Selected texts and recipes provide insights into the politics of eroticism, how to brew a magical love potion, the demands of the eco-sex movement and the symbolism of the vulva and its constitutive power for communities. With essays by Agnes Gryczkowska and Svetlana Racanović and reprints from Silvia Federici, Audre Lorde, Mithu M. Sanyal, Elizabeth M. Stephens and Annie M. Sprinkle. 

Published as part of the exhibition Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition

The book is available on site at the Walther König bookshop in the Gropius Bau.

Author: Marina Abramović
Title: On the Erotic
Series title: The Practice – What Moves Artists
Editors: Jenny Schlenzka & Julia Grosse
Publisher: Bierke Verlag
Graphic design: Stoodio Santiago da Silva 
Price: €10
Format: 12 x 16 cm

Making less may seem contradictory considering climate change, turbo-capitalism and political gridlock. Yet for Rirkrit Tiravanija, it is a crucial practice that has shaped him for many years and has rarely seemed as relevant as it does right now: using fewer resources; intervening less and observing more; looking less at results and more at the process. It can also mean collecting fewer objects in museums or accumulating fewer artworks in galleries and instead using these spaces for cooking, playing table tennis or spending the night. For Tiravanija as an artist, it can even mean deciding not to make art at all and instead renting a rice field to collectively test methods of sustainable energy production. Or it can mean simply waiting to see what happens.

In this book, Rirkrit Tiravanija compiles various ideas and approaches to this method on 128 pages, including an essay from the 1970s about “Do-Nothing Farming” by Masanobu Fukuoka, a pioneer of today’s organic farming. He also shares a fast recipe for a Negroni, a slow recipe for fish sauce and instructions for composting and provides insights into his process-oriented work.

Published as part of the exhibition Rirkrit Tiravanija: DAS GLÜCK IST NICHT IMMER LUSTIG

Orderhere

The book is also available on site at the Walther König bookshop in the Gropius Bau.

Author: Rirkrit Tiravanija
Title: On Making Less
Series title: The Practice – What Moves Artists
Editors: Jenny Schlenzka & Julia Grosse
ISBN: 978-3-948546-24-3
Publisher: Bierke Verlag
Price: €10
Format: 12 x 16 cm

Excerpt: OnMaking Less