« Art Critics' Reading List
SELENE WENDT
 Photo: Knut Bry |
Selene Wendt is an art historian, curator, and writer who works as director of The Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway. She has curated numerous international exhibitions, including: “Shirin Neshat, Beyond Orientalism;” “Liza Lou, Leaves of Glass;” “Ghada Amer, Reading Between the Threads;” “Art Through the Eye of the Needle;” and “Equatorial Rhythms,” which included visual artists whose work is inspired by music and sound. She is the author and editor of publications such as Crispin Gurholt: Live Photo II and Marianne Heske: A Doll’s House, both recently published by Skira. |
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Jerry Saltz. Seeing Out Louder Art Criticism, 2003-2009. Manchester: Hudson Hills Press, 2009. The sequel to Seeing Out Loud is precisely what the title promises—louder, brighter, and even better than the first book. This collection of essays and criticisms reflects the insights of a critic who paints a vivid picture of the New York art world with uncompromising wit and flair. He rants and raves about almost every aspect of the art world, including what drives the market and why certain artists manage to skyrocket to fame for no apparent reason, while far more worthy artists somehow remain completely anonymous. Saltz conveys a refreshingly outspoken perspective on what ails the artistic soul of New York. This highly opinionated New Yorker has literally written the book on what serious art criticism should be all about—an equal dose of artistic insight and self-deprecating humor, eloquently written and appropriately punctuated by the pressing question of what will happen to the art world after the most recent financial crisis.
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Chris Salewicz. Bob Marley: The Untold Story. London: HarperCollins Entertainment, 2009. As music continues to influence contemporary art around the world, the timing is perfect to gain insight into the life of a musician who was a true legend in his own right, a man who influenced the development of popular music as we know it today. Particularly for anyone interested in reggae music, or Jamaican culture in general, this book is a must-read. In addition to bringing Bob Marley’s music to life, the book also provides a rich and detailed history of the political struggles of the island nation of Jamaica. Salewicz recounts a colorful story of the poet, musician, and universal icon of world peace and unity. While admittedly dry at times, and particularly in contrast to the subject himself, there are enough previously untold anecdotes to light just about anyone’s fire.
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Lisa Freiman. Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything is Separated by Water. Indianapolis Museum of Art and Yale University Press, 2007. This beautiful coffee table book was published on the occasion of Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons’ major retrospective at The Indianapolis Museum of Art. Edited by Lisa Freiman, the book also includes a brilliant essay by Okwui Enwezor. Freiman and Enwezor’s insightful essays tell the story of an international artist whose work reveals both the beauty and the scars of her particular experience as a Cuban-born artist who lives and works in the United States. Their texts set her art into an interesting historical and cultural framework that relates as much to her own personal history as it does to feminism, diaspora politics, and issues of displacement. As the title suggests, Campos-Pons’ artistic anchor is found in the constant drift between Nigeria, Cuba, and the United States—in the waters that separate the various aspects of her existence.
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