Manifesta 11 Catalogue

 Published on the occasion of Manifesta 11 in Zurich in 2016, the catalogue presents the various parts of What People Do for Money: Some Joint Ventures. For the first time in its history, the European Biennial of contemporary art is curated by a single artist. Christian Jankowski was chosen as curator to develop a socio-political and cultural portrait of Zurich; his concept forefronts encounters between international artists and local citizens from diverse occupational fields. From a list containing over 1000 professions, the thirty participating artists were asked to choose one profession they perceived the most inspiring for them. Then Christian Jankowski’s curatorial team in Zurich sought suitable representatives of the selected professions as «hosts» and introduced them to the artists. One part of the resulting artwork is presented in the workplace and another installed in the city’s art institutions.

This catalogue offers the views of the hosts: What do dentists, personal trainers and police officers make of the artists and their art? It shows images of these new commissions in relation to art as well as music, books and films from the past fifty years, assembled in The Historical Exhibition: Sites Under Construction. It also documents the key elements of Manifesta 11: the floating Pavillon of Reflections on Lake Zurich and the radical transformation of Cabaret Voltaire into a temporary guildhall for artists. Texts reflect on the changing interface between work, labour and art in Zurich, Europe and beyond and include contributions from philosopher Franco Berardi (IT); collector Harald Falckenberg (DE); journalist Jonas Leppin (DE); gallerist and curator Aaron Moulton (US); writer Sally O’Reilly (UK); novelist Mikhail Shishkin (RU); and historian Jakob Tanner (CH).

Published by Lars Müller Publishers

Available at Manifesta 11 main venues and Lars Müller Publishers. Distributed worldwide.

Bilingual edition: German, English
Softcover: 21 x 26 cm; 320 pages
Retail price: CHF 49
ISBN: 978-3-03778-488-4

Manifesta 11 Guide book

The Manifesta 11 Guide is an essential companion for visitors to the biennial in Zurich. It includes information about the artists and artworks along with an overview of the venues, plus floor plans and city maps. All you need to get the most out of your visit!

The Manifesta 11 Guide book is available at Manifesta 11 main venues and some satellites. You can also find it at Kunstgriff bookshop, Freitag Flagship Store, Freitag Grüngasse and Freitag Factory, Stampa (Basel), Kunsthalle Basel, Orell Füssli Bellevue, Orell Füssli Kramhof and Orell Füssli Stauffacher (Bern), among others. The Manifesta 11 Guide book is also available via Starticket. Only distributed in Switzerland.

Orders and distribution contact here.

Trilingual edition: German, French, English
Softcover: 11.5 x 15.7 cm; 304 pages
Retail price: CHF 10
ISBN: 978-3-033-05563-6

Decade Book

The Publications Department is producing Manifesta Decade Book, a comprehensive volume gathering artists’ writings on the biennial. The first Manifesta Decade book presented a curatorial perspective on artistic practices and exhibitions following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakdown of the East-West divide. Its successor makes a departure by turning to the voices of artists. Manifesta Decade Book II attempts to write the history of Manifesta and assess its significance for the artists who took part, while  exploring the meaning of European cultural production today. At the same time it sets Manifesta within the context of broader exhibition history over the last two decades. The book brings together artists’ positions on large-scale exhibitions as well as issues such as the conditions of production, site-specificity, the institution, the curator, the critic, artist networks and the public from the perspective of ‘Europe’ today.

All manifesta publications can be read completely or partially online for free.