The well-known art curator and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist – undoubtedly one of the most influential figures on the international contemporary art scene – shares his memories of the most unforgettable episodes of his career and inspiring meetings, as well as offers reflection on the curator’s role and the historic discourse of the profession.
There is a fundamental similarity to the act of curating, which at its most basic is simply about connecting cultures, bringing their elements into proximity with each other –the task of curating is to make junctions, to allow different elements to touch.
Hans Ulrich Obrist
The author writes about the artists who have been a source of inspiration to him (Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Gerhard Richter, Christian Boltansky, and others), significant figures of art history, the Renaissance Wunderkammer and contemporary museums, the most outstanding exhibitions, as well as unrealised ideas.
The Swiss-born Hans Ulrich Obrist (1968) is curator, art critic, writer, and since 2006 artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. In 2009, the magazine ArtReview named him the most powerful figure in the art world, and since then he has never left the top 10 list.
Since his first exhibition “World Soup”, which Obrist put on at the age of 23 in his kitchen, he has curated more than 300 art shows, including the most famous exhibition venues. He is known also as a brilliant interviewer who has recorded nearly 2000 hours of interviews with contemporary art figures and has published about 200 art catalogues and several books.