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Liam Gillick
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Do It: The Compendium Paperback – April 30, 2013

by Bruce Altshuler (Author), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Editor), Kate Fowle (Foreword)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Do It began in Paris in 1993 as a conversation between the artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier and Obrist himself, who was experimenting with how exhibition formats could be rendered more flexible and open-ended. The discussion led to the question of whether a show could take “scores” or written instructions by artists as a point of departure, which could be interpreted anew each time they were enacted. To test the idea, Obrist invited 13 artists to send instructions, which were then translated into nine different languages and circulated internationally as a book. Within two years, Do It exhibitions were being created all over the world by realizing the artists’ instructions. With every version of the exhibition new instructions were added, so that today more than 300 artists have contributed to the project. Constantly evolving and morphing into different versions of itself, Do It has grown to encompass “Do It (Museum),” “Do It (Home),” “Do It (TV),” “Do It (Seminar)” as well as some “Anti-Do Its”, a “Philosophy Do It” and, most recently, a “UNESCO Children’s Do It.” Nearly 20 years after the initial conversation took place, Do It has been featured in at least 50 different locations worldwide. To mark the twentieth anniversary of this landmark project, this new publication presents the history of this ambitious enterprise and gives new impetus to its future. It includes an archive of artists’ instructions, essays contextualizing Do It, documentation from the history of the exhibition and instructions by 200 artists from all over the world selected by Obrist, among them Carl Andre, Jimmie Durham, Dan Graham, Yoko Ono, Christian Marclay and Rosemarie Trockel, including 60 new instructions from Matias Faldbakken, Theaster Gates, Sarah Lucas, David Lynch, Rivane Neuenschwander and Ai Weiwei, among many others.
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  1. Print length
    448 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Independent Curators International/D.A.P.
  4. Publication date
    April 30, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    7.87 x 1.38 x 9.84 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1938922018
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1938922015
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Obrist's ongoing curatorial experiment, this anthology collects 250 "scores"―written instructions for the production of an artwork―from the artists invited to participate in the 50 iterations of the globally traveling "do it" exhibition to date. (Editors Art in America)

Obrist recruited more than 60 artists (icluding Ai Weiwei and David Lynch) to write instructionsfor creating all manner of works, which have been interpreted by others and put on display alongside those directions. (Jonathan Aprea Time Out Magazine)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independent Curators International/D.A.P.; y First edition (April 30, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1938922018
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1938922015
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.67 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.87 x 1.38 x 9.84 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Liam Gillick

Liam Gillick

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Liam Gillick (b.1964) deploys multiple forms to expose the new ideological control systems that emerged at the beginning of the 1990s. He has developed a number of key narratives that often form the engine for a body of work. McNamara (1992 onwards) Erasmus is Late & Ibuka! (1995 onwards) Discussion Island/Big Conference Center (1997 onwards) and Construction of One (2005 onwards). Gillick’s work exposes the dysfunctional aspects of a modernist legacy in terms of abstraction and architecture when framed within a globalized, neo-liberal consensus. His work extends into structural rethinking of the exhibition as a form. In addition he has produced a number of short films since the late 2000s which address the construction of the creative persona in light of the enduring mutability of the contemporary artist as a cultural figure. Margin Time (2012) The Heavenly Lagoon (2013) and Hamilton: A Film by Liam Gillick (2014). The book Industry and Intelligence: Contemporary Art Since 1820 was published by Columbia University Press in March 2016.

Gillick’s work has been included in numerous important exhibitions including documenta and the Venice, Berlin and Istanbul Biennales - representing Germany in 2009 in Venice. Solo museum exhibitions have taken place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Gillick’s work is held in many important public collections including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York and Bilbao and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Over the last twenty five years Gillick has also been a prolific writer and critic of contemporary art – contributing to Artforum, October, Frieze and e-flux Journal. He is the author of a number of books including a volume of his selected critical writing. High profile public works include the British Government Home Office (Interior Ministry) building in London and the Lufthansa Headquarters in Frankfurt. Throughout this time Gillick has extended his practice into experimental venues and collaborative projects with artists including Philippe Parreno, Lawrence Weiner and Louise Lawler.

He lives and works in New York City.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Estevan Gorro
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent ideas for creating art using a variety of media!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013
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This is a great book that contains a wide variety of ideas for creating art--using a wide variety of media and digital tools. The 'Do It!' project began in the early 1990's and continuues until today. The concept behind the book is to allow a wide range of artists to provide 1-2 page instructions on how to create an art work that could be created by anyone and displayed at a 'Do It!' exhibition. The book is full of a lot of interesting and fun ideas for creating art works.
4 people found this helpful
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JP
4.0 out of 5 stars Expanded my understanding of Art. And made us giggle at some of the more goofy 'exhibit' ideas.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
I'm an engineer, not an artist. But my artist friend positively *loved* this book as a holiday gift. And I have to say, reading the (often hilarious) notes from many different artists describing the how AND why of creating a art exhibit did expand my concept of Art. But whether they struck me as goofy or serious, all of the entries are quite thought-provoking. (search online for "David Lynch Ricky Board" for an interesting example) My personal favorite involves the instruction to "buy or rent a Ferrari" then crash it in a very very particular method so as to create the art exhibit. (That irreverent "or rent" made us laugh.) This book made me think, "hey, if this is Art, I could do Art. Which, in the end, is probably the point of the book. A funny, funny read, chock full of crazy who-thinks-of-this-stuff ideas.
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Roger Ralston
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016
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Arrived and is great. A shorter version than I thought st Horst. But it's a good collection.
One person found this helpful
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Aman
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2015
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Did it!
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Kate
2.0 out of 5 stars Directions /instructions on how various performance pieces.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2019
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I did not understand that this book memorializes performance art by providing almost “directions” to create various performances again. No a book of photos showing the performances. That said if you want to understand some of the thought-processes and problems to which some performances were intended to solve intellectual or cultural issues. My stars are few because I really expected a different book. Kept this book because it is fun to read/explore at breaks or when in a fallow period.
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Tervuren
3.0 out of 5 stars Book Description is incorrect
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2019
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The book description said: Signed by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Christian Boltanski, and Bertrand Lavier. However, this is not the case as the book is not originally signed by those three people; it just includes a reprint of their signature, which is part of the book design.
2 people found this helpful
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Janine D
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013
I absolutely loved this book! It's gorgeous and super engaging. This is a book of instructions for art, rather than pictures of art -- so could you take a hands-on approach and try to `do it yourself'. The instructions have been contributed by a really exciting range of artists, and each is kind of a fun insight into their work and mindset. It's an experience rather than just a read -- If you are interested in contemporary art and want to rediscover it in a new light, I would definitely recommend picking up "Do It!"
3 people found this helpful
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Can L. Misirlioglu
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most underrated art movements of 20th century.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2014
This compendium was long overdue for this highly influential art idea.
It's thorough, and does an awesome job at explaining the context and content of DO IT.
I also really liked the design - it has an anti-design sensibility that makes the book somehow more accessible.
You can pick this up from time to time to get inspired for projects, and little ideas as well.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Skleri
5.0 out of 5 stars indispensable !
Reviewed in France on July 25, 2017
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Une exposition/livre audacieuse et parfaite pour appréhender les notions de process et de performance artistique. L'audace d'ans Ulrich Obrist en un ouvrage.
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Robby Egel
5.0 out of 5 stars Es tut, was es tun muss...
Reviewed in Germany on August 20, 2013
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...es bringt einen auf Ideen, wie man ins Tun kommt. In einer Zeit, die durch ihre vermeintliche Komplexität lähmend wirkt, weil sich Hilflosigkeit breit macht, ist dieses Buch die Erfrischung, die einem heraus hilft.
Skurrile Ideen wechseln ab mit scheinbar Banalem "Bewege jeden Morgen eine Minute Deine Finger hoch und runter" (Jonas Mekas, 1996). Tut man es bzw. denkt über manchen Vorschlag im Buch eine Weile nach, geschehen ungeahnte und unerwartete Dinge mit einem.
Das Buch ist eine Inspirationsquelle und könnte dazu führen, dass durch seine Leser Kreationen das Licht der Welt erblicken, die es ansonsten nie geben würde. Insofern ist das Buch geeignet, die Welt zu verändern.
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