Online launch of Particular Cases by Boris Groys

Date

Schedule

19:00

DESCRIPTION

Boris Groys presents his new book, published  in digital format, in conversation with Russian artist, curator, and contemporary art theorist Arseny Zhilyaev. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

Particular Cases is a collection of essays on some of the most significant artworks of the past century and on artists who have inspired Groys to develop new ideas and interpretations. Approaching art as a practice that can change our vision and thinking, Groys analyzes works by Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, Fischli and Weiss, and Rebecca Horn, among others. He examines questions that are central to the development of contemporary art, including originality, secondariness, the value of art, and the language of power contained in artworks. Not aiming to “explain” art theory, Particular Cases picks up on the impulses suggested by the artworks themselves.     

The Russian translation of Particular Cases is the first book in the history of the Garage publishing program with Ad Marginem Press to be released only in digital format. This decision was a response to the global pandemic. Self-isolation may make the purchase of physical books difficult but it does not stop people buying online versions. Particular Cases will be released simultaneously on Bookmate and LitRes and will be available on other Russian and international platforms and in digital libraries within a week of launch.

“The book is being published during the coronavirus pandemic. This is a particular case, maybe even a state of emergency [. . .]. People find themselves playing a passive role; they are in isolation, where non-action is required. Their task is to avoid direct contact with the threat. Instead, contact takes place through social systems: the media, the state, and the economy. This aspect alone tells us a lot about the role of the individual in the contemporary world. In a situation of danger, people are supposed to continue doing what they do in other circumstances: sit quietly, do as they are told, and not get in the way. It can be easily demonstrated that in other respects too, the crisis around coronavirus has reinforced trends that had begun to dominate in recent years.” 

In the week following the launch, Ad Marginem Press will publish on its website excerpts chosen by art historians, artists, and philosophers. 

how to take part

Admission is free.

The discussion will be broadcast on YouTube.