BOOK:Contemporary Sculpture-Artists’ Texts and Interviews, Hatje Cantz Publications

The concept of sculpture, of what constitutes the sculptural, is more complex and ambiguous than almost any other in art theory, even if it were only used to describe public landmarks, memorials, statues, busts, or modern abstract objects. But it also employed in the description of found pieces, photographs, performances, and more. And the artistic techniques connected to sculpture are equally diverse. “Contemporary Sculpture: Artists’ Texts and Interviews” by Hatje Cantz Publications  presents the various artistic approaches to sculpture in a manner that allows them to participate in an equal dialogue. The genres and writing styles employed to present these views to reader are as diverse as the perspectives themselves. The texts range from statements, manifestos, and essays to letters, prose, fictitious dialogues, plays, and numerous interviews. The book is sectioned into three themes: “Objects, Materials, and Processes”, “Forms and Figuration” and “Spaces and Places”.  The first section is devoted to the issue of what it means to work in three dimensions, how sculpture is distinguished from the world of other objects, and how forms are perceived by the public and endowed with meaning. In the second section, the theme is the sculpture’s relationship to the human body, while the third section deals with how sculpture fills space and shares it with the viewer.-Dimitris Lempesis