当代艺术的十九副面孔：大师与我们的时代

How are shocking contemporary artworks created?
What inspires "out-of-the-box" artists and architects?
What's special about their way of thinking?
Is it possible for us to understand contemporary art?…
Open "19 Faces of Contemporary Art" and hear what the artists themselves have to say. Hans Ulrich Obrist, a world-renowned curator, art critic, and Artistic Director of London's Serpentine Galleries, has conducted marathon conversations with contemporary artists for over 30 years, leaving behind a "living archive" of contemporary art. This book selects 19 world-class contemporary artists and groups, such as David Hockney, known as the "godfather of British art," Louise Bourgeois, a significant feminist artist, Marina Abramović, the "grandmother of performance art," Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid, architects with unique and controversial styles, and Oscar Niemeyer, who participated in the construction of Brazil's new capital, Brasília, among others. In these relaxed conversations, artists and architects elaborate on the personal and social issues they face in their creation, the creative ideas behind specific works, future creative plans, and even advice for young artists, and so on. Through this book, we can see their sources of inspiration and understand the stories behind their creations.
19 dialogues, 19 artists (or groups), condense 19 facets of contemporary art, reflecting the rich forms of contemporary art. We can also examine the era we live in through the eyes of the artists.
The writing style of this book is inspired by Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists" from the Renaissance period, making no distinction between artists and architects, but rather recording these contemporaries as historical figures. In fact, contemporary artists and architects have long broken through disciplinary boundaries, engaging in interdisciplinary practices across multiple fields. Both in terms of writing style and content, this book is "very contemporary"!