Real………. Personal

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Stemming from a program of site-specific commissions for a bank, the four books are conceived as individual monographs on each artist’s contribution. Gathering preparatory material, documentation on the works, and essays by critics or the artists themselves, these volumes contribute a discussion around commissioning, the notions of public vs. private collection, and the relationship between artists and patrons. * * Liam Gillick’s book shows the realization of his designs in conference rooms, corridors, and offices, coinciding with his sustained interest in the negotiation of a middle ground between corporate culture and contemporary art. The volume is accompanied by an artist’s essay discussing the dissolution of the public/private dichotomy into a grey zone of semi-public/semi-private spheres. * * John Armleder’s book focuses on the origins of his playful use of multiple styles and devaluated decorative effects for a practice claiming to be anchored in the 20th century avant-gardes. * * Daniel Buren’s and Robert Barry’s volumes each follow the set-up of their respective artistic programs within the corporate spaces of the bank and the ways they conceived simultaneously their site-specificity and their break away from this framework. * * A box, produced in a limited edition, reunites the four volumes and adds a fifth one, describing the agenda of the commissions and the intentions of the program. * * The books are published by the commissioner, BSI (Banca della Svizzera Italiana), as part of the Lugano Art Program, relaunched this year by the Italian curator and critic Luca Cerizza.