Taking its title from Mary Douglas’s book, How Institutions Think, this anthology reconsiders the practices, habits, models, and rhetoric of the institution and the anti- institution in contemporary art and curating. Contributors consider the institution as an object of inquiry across many disciplines, including political theory, organizational science, and sociology. They reflect upon how institutions inform art, curatorial, educational, and research practices as much as they shape the world around us. Bringing together an international and multidisciplinary group of writers, How Institutions Think addresses such questions as whether institution building is still possible, feasible, or desirable; if there are emergent institutional models for progressive art and curatorial research practices; and how we can establish ethical principles and build our institutions accordingly. Essays are arrange under two sections, which are in fluid dialogue with one another. The first part, :Thinking via Institutions,: moves from the particular to the general; the second part, “Thinking about Institutions,” considers broader questions about the nature of institutional frameworks.
Contributors include:
Dave Beech, Mélanie Bouteloup, Nikita Yingqian Cai, Binna Choi, Céline Condorelli, Pip Day, Clémentine Deliss, Keller Easterling, Bassam El Baroni, Charles Esche, Patricia Falguières, Patrick D. Flores, Marina Gržinić, Stefano Harney, Alhena Katsof, Annette Kraus, Fred Moten, Emily Pethick, Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Andrea Phillips, Sarah Pierce, Moses Serubiri, Simon Sheikh, and Mick Wilson.
Distributed by the MIT Press Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 http://mitpress.mit.edu
Printed and bound in Italy