Documenta 13: Catalog I/3, The Book of Books

The Book of Books offers an overview of Documenta 13’s guiding themes through a compilation of art projects and essays. Documenta 13’s Artistic Director Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev has proposed the 2012 festival as a refusal of conceptual unity, instead “choreographing many different kinds of materials, methodologies and forms of knowledge.” Responding to the political and economic uncertainty of our times, Christov-Bakargiev declares that “Documenta must aspire, by contrast, to instead exercise imagination as a space of accuracy in which to practice and challenge our definition of the political.” The Book of Books reproduces the entire 100 Notes-100 Thoughts series of publications (either as facsimiles or with entirely new layouts), and is supplemented by essays from Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Chus Martínez, Franco Berardi and others, plus statements by some of the festival’s agents and advisors. Illustrated short biographies of all participating artists are included, along with a catalogue of the works on display.