Interviews Volume 1 by Gerald Matt

During his long and illustrious career as a curator, Gerald Matt, the current Director of Kunsthalle Vienna, had many insightful conversations with the top artists of the day. Gathered here are 40 interviews with contemporary artists including Matthew Barney, Vanessa Beecroft, Candice Breitz, Steve McQueen, Shirin Neshat, Raymond Pettibon, Santiago Sierra, Francesco Vezzoli and Yang Fudong, among others, accompanied by numerous color illustrations of each artist's work. According to Matt, "The interviews gathered together in this volume attempt to provide a panoramic overview of contemporary artistic production modes without demystifying the aesthetic puzzle with hasty answers. The point here is not to exhibit shut and dried views of the world but to sketch open systems that admit some space for continuing discourse. Allow yourself to be carried forward by the flow of words without expecting exhaustive help for your life. Entirely in keeping with the motto that Raymond Pettibon wrote on one of his drawings: 'Whatever you are looking for, you won't find it here.'"